September 2nd, 2010 | 
Author: Two Sunday’s ago I noticed, but didn’t have time to touch base with him. This Sunday after church I noticed him again and I did have the time. “Tom (not real name), you look tired. Are you doing okay?”
This man in his late thirties looked at me so surprised. “Yeah. Fine. Just tired. We’re putting in a lot of hours at work.”
We chatted for a minute or so until the rest of his family was ready to go and he left.
I was hoping some people would share how they rejuvenate themselves in the midst of the busy life of ministry. Well, I guess I’ll tell you one thing that really helps me.
A number of years ago, I contacted St. Benedict’s which is a monastery and religious center in Madison which is about 45 miles away. Once a month (usually the first Thursday of each month), I would rent a room for $12 a day. I’d get up at 5:15 a.m., take the drive in to Madison, armed with my Bible, a Christian book, and my computer to journal. Then I’d spend the day in prayer and reflection. At about 3:30 p.m., I’d head back home (and I’d make sure not to have any meetings that evening).
This one day felt to me a like a two or three day vacation. I felt so refreshed and back in tune with God. I found myself re-centered in His word and ways.
St. Benedict’s now (to stay open) is open to large business gatherings so they don’t rent out rooms nearly as often. Because it was getting tough to find a day, I now get up on my “St. Benedict’s” day, and lock myself in a room in the house (not the office), turn on the answering machine and spend the time the same way as at the monastery. Being at home isn’t quite as relaxing – it’s kind of nice to get away – but it is still a wonderful way to get refreshed.
So one day a month, I set aside one full “work” day to do nothing but pray and read, and getting back in touch with my boss.
Give it a try and God bless, Dan
I like to share something we are going to begin at our church. We have noticed that the sponsors for our baptismal candidates are usually family members who live a great distance away from the church. So, even though they make promises to help in the faith development of the child, they really can’t be there in the day to day ministry of the child.
Therefore we have decided that at each baptism, the family will not only choose their sponsors, but also choose one member of the congregation as a “church sponsor.” Following the baptism, the church sponsor will present a child and family with a prayer doll (really cute dolls for either boys or girls, that when you squeeze it, it says the “Now I lay me” prayer) and a copy of “Child’s first prayer book” (a little book of forty simple prayers).
We feel that having a church sponsor will help build a stronger safety net for the baptized child, especially if we know that the other sponsors are unable to help in this area.
We are really excited about starting this. God bless, Dan
I get tired at times. I don’t mean the “I didn’t sleep well last night,” kind of tired. I mean “bone-weary” tired. Lack of sleep isn’t the issue, the issue is being tired by all the work of ministry. I know pastors in larger churches sometimes wish they only had 200 members. Meanwhile I sometimes wish there was at least one other pastor in this parish, so I could just walk away for a while. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
But I am tired and I know a lot of it is caused by being so busy in the parish and not taking enough time to spend alone with God and keeping an intimate relationship with the Lord.
As I was pondering my tiredness, I received an e-reflection from the Transformation Center. It began this way: “The issue of dangerous levels of depletion among pastors and clergy continues to be a very serious one. An article in the New York Times ( Taking a Break From the Lord’s Work) and a post on the Associated Baptist Press site (Study Says Clergy Neglecting Self-Care) describe what could be called an epidemic among Christian leaders. These findings are consistent with recent communications we have received from pastors and Christian leaders who are aware they are not rested enough to face the next ministry season.”
I encourage you to link to these two articles (I think I actually did it this time!). Then would you please post what you think about these article, and from there, maybe we can begin sharing ways that rural pastors can get the spiritual rest they need.
I hope to hear from you and God bless you all in your ministry. Dan
August 20 – Blog by Jean Moon
Sometimes, we need a hug more than we need a prayer. A hug can be a healing balm to the soul. Sometimes . . . a hug restores our hope.
Jean
What a great reminder that we are not only to be touched by Christ, but also to touch people as the body of Christ! So simple – so live changing! Thank you Jean.
P.S. If anyone would like to write a blog, please do and send it directly to me at adbohlman@hotmail.com or send it as a comment but title it “new blog.” I’d love to have more people blog on this site each week.
I am back from vacation. I have found over the years that usually I have some kind encounter with the Lord during that time that strikes me deeply and it happened again this year – in the form of a dream.
In the dream it was a Saturday and I was fishing (by the way the fishing was great!) and as I passed by other boats and people sitting on their docks, I was asking if they would like to have an informal worship service on Sunday morning at the cabin we were staying at. In each and every case I got one of two responses – either the people burst out laughing or they shook their heads as if I was asking them to swallow codfish oil.
When I got back to the cabin and docked the boat, I told Ann about what had happened. She looked at me with a look that I had never seen from her before. Usually Ann is so strong in faith and boosts my spirit when down, but in this dream she gave me the saddest, most desperate look I had ever seen. I was quiet for a time and then said, “Is it true? Is Christianity over? Is there no reason for me to work any more? Is it all for naught?” She answered, not with words, but with a hug that gave me my answer … it was over.
Next the dream took me to my parish on the first Sunday of returning to work. From the pulpit I announced that I was done. I told the congregation that I had come to find that our work wasn’t worth the labor and money and resources we were putting into this church because in the end it didn’t matter. Christianity was over. Belief in God was soon to be extinct.”
For some strange reason I finished up the worship service and then went into the back to change out of my alb. When I came back out, I found our church council sitting in the pew waiting for me. When I got to them, one of the members stood up and said, “We care and we think it is important. We want to continue to work and worship and share Christ.”
That was all that was said, but I felt my heart move just a little bit and then I replied, “Okay,” and left to return to the parsonage and on Monday to the office.
I know that the dream was a way of processing some of my feelings. Often as pastors we find that people are less than enthusiastic about our call to them and visions we try to impart. Too often it can overcome us and we feel like giving up. And in rural areas, too often the pastor has no one that they can really talk to about the situation.
What the dream helped me to see was that each Sunday those people in church and the five or ten that show up for Bible study and the member who walks over to a grieving neighbor with a casserole and a prayer, are reminding us pastors that it isn’t over. That it will never be over. Together we have a call to fulfill and Jesus is Lord and it will never be done. God will not die.
God bless, Dan
Kyle Childress wrote an article in the Christian Century this past wee called “Oversized Expectations.” I won’t try to give you the link because I’ve proven myself totally inept at that, so let me write out a couple of quotes that I found very though provoking.
“They were visitors in our worship service and, like all visitors in a small church, they were not hard to spot. I could see from the looks on their faces that whatever they were looking for in a church, we didn’t have it. When we all stood to sing the hymns, they just looked straight ahead, never making an effort to sing and not even picking up a hymnbook.
“I greeted them in the hallway after the service and said something like, “I couldn’t help noticing that you seemed uncomfortable in our service. Is there something I could help you with?”
“They looked at one another and then one of them blurted out, ‘Well, we noticed you use hymnbooks. We’ve never been in a church that sill uses hymnbooks. We’ve always had the words on overhead screens.’
“We had just been megachurched: hit with expectations and agendas determined by megachurches. We still used hymnbooks instead of overhead video screens. Obviously, we were both small and antiquated.
On Monday my wife Ann was having a tough day. On Friday she had her fifth (of twelve) chemo treatments. Her blood count was way down, she had an upset stomach, tired, had some flu like symptoms. Just a bad day. Then some bills came in the mail that magically aren’t covered by insurance and now we have to come up with the money. She looked at the bills and said in frustration, “It would be cheaper if I just died.”
I can’t tell you how much that hurt. I know she was just having a really bad day and she was sharing her deep frustration over the events, but those words came from the person I love with all my heart, soul and mind.
Ironically I read this morning an article where a bishop while talking about the many struggling rural churches in his synod say, “It’s just not cost effective to keep them open.” Translated: “It would be cheaper if they just died.” Immediately my mind flew back to Monday when Ann said those same words. Knowing how much those words hurt me, it made me wonder how Jesus feels when he hears people say that about his beloved churches? Jesus loves the church with all His heart, soul and mind and to have someone say that it would be cheaper just to let them die, must hurt Him deeply.
Now I know that there are going to be rural churches closing in the future. Due to population and employment changes and the reduction in financial resources, yes, some churches are not going to make it. By the same token, I sure as heck hope that we as part of the larger church body will not be too flippant in throwing out the phrase “It would be cheaper if they just died,” knowing how much pain that causes our Savior.
God bless, Dan
I was at a continuing education event on Sunday and Monday put on by our Synod. Our synod has a high number of rural congregations. Like Apple Grove and Yellowstone, many parishes are wrestling with high unemployment and neighbors with far less discretionary income. In other words, business and churches in the area are hurting.
During one of the lectures our speaker was telling about the 1.5 million dollar shortfall, per month, that the Crystal Cathedral is facing. As she finished explaining the situation, a pastor from among us, whispered out loudly, “Yes!”
We had a great discussion on lay ministers and how to fill the openings in rural america. The recent “Christian Century” (July 13, 2010) had two great articles on the very issue. Type in “Christian Century” in Google and then press “Current Issue” under the magazine and it will take you there. I’d like to hear your comments on their take on this issue. God bless, Dan