What do you say? Thanks!
When I was a child, I recall my mother looking at me, "Chuck, what do you say?" Somebody had given me something, maybe something that I didn't even like. "What do you say, Chuck?" "Thanks!" My mother was satisfied. I wish that I had said "thanks" more often in my life.
A congregation's course correction
For 5 years I was the student pastor of a small country church in southern Indiana. Sunday was coming, and I was bogged down in papers and tests at school. "Diane drive slowly!" It was 40 miles from the seminary to the church. Diane is driving, and I'm sitting in the passenger seat feverishly preparing a sermon on Jonah and the great fish. When I preached that Sunday, I got mixed up and had Jonah wanting to go to Ninevah. It didn't sound right, but I had, "brain-lock". Sitting in the congregation, Diane winced. During the invitation hymn, I figured it out. I apologized and sheepishly went to the back door. You know what most of the congregation said to me on their way out? "Don't worry, pastor. We straightened things out in our minds." They were probably thinking that here was another seminary student that would get them confused about the Bible. Fred Craddock, in his inductive style of preaching, would say, "Give your listeners direction, but let your hearers do some work in completing the sermon." I don't believe that Craddock had in mind my sermon on Jonah.
"We straightened it out in our minds." These were simple people; they didn't have much education, but that day they embodied grace and kindness. My mother would have liked my response. "Thanks so much." I said to everybody who blessed a sermon that had Jonah going in the wrong direction. Despite my not knowing Ninevah from Tarshish, believe it or not I did graduate from seminary.
A chair of deacons who took me seriously.
I was 31 and had a Chair of Deacons named Claude. Claude was not the "touchy-feely" type of person. One day I told him that I was spending so much time at the church that I didn't have enough time with my family. He said nothing and walked away. I might as well have complained to the wall.
Except, in 2 weeks we had a Deacons' meeting. Claude, who was big and brusque, looked at me and then looked at the deacons. "We have a young pastor. I don't want us to ask him to do anything that the deacons are not doing." "All of the deacons," Claude continued, "will visit the hospitals, visit their assigned members, visit the shut-ins, attend all the services of the church, and the litany of expectations continued. I was sitting in the back of the room and saying under my breath, "Sic-em Claude." Somewhere in heaven there's a man named Claude, gruff voice, who cared for his young pastor. If you can hear me, Claude, "Thanks". You took me seriously, and that deserves a big "shout-out".
A doctor who can't do anything.
Several years ago, I changed the things I had on the wall of my home study. I took down my diplomas and put up more personal items. I thought that if people didn't know that I had a PhD, that was all right.
In fact, I have my daughter to thank for putting my education in perspective. We were living in Florida. Laura Beth was about 10. I was at the window in the kitchen when I heard outside some of her friends and her talking. "Your dad's a doctor," a girl said. "What kind of a doctor is he?" Perplexed, Laura Beth responded, "He's the kind of doctor who can't do anything." When your daughter can't explain what you do, you're in trouble! Ironically, Laura Beth eventually received her doctorate from the Harvard Divinity School, so now we have 2 doctors in our family who can't do anything! Thanks for the reminders that degrees mean little to our parishioners. Some of them are proud that we are some kind of doctor, but people are more interested in whether we are competent, caring and if we are pastors, whether we can preach in such a way that they may experience God's transformative spirit. My degrees are in storage.
A student who trusted me with his love life.
When I taught preaching, I was fortunate to have some very gifted students. Preaching was a required course, so I always had some students who would let me know that speaking in front of a group of people frightened the daylights out of them. Willingly or unwillingly, as they eventually came to preach, each of these students were important to me. Thank you for letting me try to teach each of you. Thank you to those who thought they were going to die when they had to preach and who surprised even themselves that they didn't pass out and actually preached some very moving sermons.
I want to tell you about a special young man - - no names and a lack of specificity to protect the innocent. This student was extremely perceptive and gifted; he served a year as my teaching fellow. One day he came to see me and said, "I would really like to ask ________ for a date." The school wasn't paying me to be a matchmaker, but I wanted this relationship to blossom. The young woman, so bright and attractive, was about to transfer to a school in her home state. The pressure was on. Understand that I'm not an expert in romance so I was probably giving advice that I should have kept to myself. However, I looked at my student and I said, "You have 15 minutes to call her and then come back to my office to tell me what happened." I told him that I hadn't been successful when I met my future wife. Diane was standing in front of a trophy case; I walked beside her and said, "Which one of those trophies did you win?" She looked at me as if I'd slithered out of some hole. I went to find a place to lick my wounds. Three months later we met again, and this time things clicked. Finally I asked her, "Why did you give me that 'drop-dead' look at the trophy case?" "I really didn't hear you", she said. Here I am a preacher and when I needed to be heard I had mumbled. Nevermind that my pickup line was terrible.
In 15 minutes the student was back in my office. "We're getting together this afternoon", and then he floated out of the office. They're now married. She has completed her education. They have children and he's the pastor of a prominent church.
He should be thanking me, but I really want to thank him and the other students who trusted me with things that were often more pressing than teaching a subject.
I've been so fortunate. So many people to thank. Thanks! And now... we'll leave the rest to God.
Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly,
Pray daily,
And then... leave the rest to God.
A congregation's course correction
For 5 years I was the student pastor of a small country church in southern Indiana. Sunday was coming, and I was bogged down in papers and tests at school. "Diane drive slowly!" It was 40 miles from the seminary to the church. Diane is driving, and I'm sitting in the passenger seat feverishly preparing a sermon on Jonah and the great fish. When I preached that Sunday, I got mixed up and had Jonah wanting to go to Ninevah. It didn't sound right, but I had, "brain-lock". Sitting in the congregation, Diane winced. During the invitation hymn, I figured it out. I apologized and sheepishly went to the back door. You know what most of the congregation said to me on their way out? "Don't worry, pastor. We straightened things out in our minds." They were probably thinking that here was another seminary student that would get them confused about the Bible. Fred Craddock, in his inductive style of preaching, would say, "Give your listeners direction, but let your hearers do some work in completing the sermon." I don't believe that Craddock had in mind my sermon on Jonah.
"We straightened it out in our minds." These were simple people; they didn't have much education, but that day they embodied grace and kindness. My mother would have liked my response. "Thanks so much." I said to everybody who blessed a sermon that had Jonah going in the wrong direction. Despite my not knowing Ninevah from Tarshish, believe it or not I did graduate from seminary.
A chair of deacons who took me seriously.
I was 31 and had a Chair of Deacons named Claude. Claude was not the "touchy-feely" type of person. One day I told him that I was spending so much time at the church that I didn't have enough time with my family. He said nothing and walked away. I might as well have complained to the wall.
Except, in 2 weeks we had a Deacons' meeting. Claude, who was big and brusque, looked at me and then looked at the deacons. "We have a young pastor. I don't want us to ask him to do anything that the deacons are not doing." "All of the deacons," Claude continued, "will visit the hospitals, visit their assigned members, visit the shut-ins, attend all the services of the church, and the litany of expectations continued. I was sitting in the back of the room and saying under my breath, "Sic-em Claude." Somewhere in heaven there's a man named Claude, gruff voice, who cared for his young pastor. If you can hear me, Claude, "Thanks". You took me seriously, and that deserves a big "shout-out".
A doctor who can't do anything.
Several years ago, I changed the things I had on the wall of my home study. I took down my diplomas and put up more personal items. I thought that if people didn't know that I had a PhD, that was all right.
In fact, I have my daughter to thank for putting my education in perspective. We were living in Florida. Laura Beth was about 10. I was at the window in the kitchen when I heard outside some of her friends and her talking. "Your dad's a doctor," a girl said. "What kind of a doctor is he?" Perplexed, Laura Beth responded, "He's the kind of doctor who can't do anything." When your daughter can't explain what you do, you're in trouble! Ironically, Laura Beth eventually received her doctorate from the Harvard Divinity School, so now we have 2 doctors in our family who can't do anything! Thanks for the reminders that degrees mean little to our parishioners. Some of them are proud that we are some kind of doctor, but people are more interested in whether we are competent, caring and if we are pastors, whether we can preach in such a way that they may experience God's transformative spirit. My degrees are in storage.
A student who trusted me with his love life.
When I taught preaching, I was fortunate to have some very gifted students. Preaching was a required course, so I always had some students who would let me know that speaking in front of a group of people frightened the daylights out of them. Willingly or unwillingly, as they eventually came to preach, each of these students were important to me. Thank you for letting me try to teach each of you. Thank you to those who thought they were going to die when they had to preach and who surprised even themselves that they didn't pass out and actually preached some very moving sermons.
I want to tell you about a special young man - - no names and a lack of specificity to protect the innocent. This student was extremely perceptive and gifted; he served a year as my teaching fellow. One day he came to see me and said, "I would really like to ask ________ for a date." The school wasn't paying me to be a matchmaker, but I wanted this relationship to blossom. The young woman, so bright and attractive, was about to transfer to a school in her home state. The pressure was on. Understand that I'm not an expert in romance so I was probably giving advice that I should have kept to myself. However, I looked at my student and I said, "You have 15 minutes to call her and then come back to my office to tell me what happened." I told him that I hadn't been successful when I met my future wife. Diane was standing in front of a trophy case; I walked beside her and said, "Which one of those trophies did you win?" She looked at me as if I'd slithered out of some hole. I went to find a place to lick my wounds. Three months later we met again, and this time things clicked. Finally I asked her, "Why did you give me that 'drop-dead' look at the trophy case?" "I really didn't hear you", she said. Here I am a preacher and when I needed to be heard I had mumbled. Nevermind that my pickup line was terrible.
In 15 minutes the student was back in my office. "We're getting together this afternoon", and then he floated out of the office. They're now married. She has completed her education. They have children and he's the pastor of a prominent church.
He should be thanking me, but I really want to thank him and the other students who trusted me with things that were often more pressing than teaching a subject.
I've been so fortunate. So many people to thank. Thanks! And now... we'll leave the rest to God.
Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly,
Pray daily,
And then... leave the rest to God.
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