Welcome To The Bible Belt!

Ok, first lets work thru what has been going on, and next some reflection about who has been doing that work, and I'll give you a clue, it ain't me...

Starters, I have been gracious in the terminology used for myself around the office coming in, being fine with such loving nomenclatures such as;

-INTERN!!!
-Gopher, as in Go-for ______(fill in the blank with a meaningless task)
-Michigan Kid / guy
-Not the body lotion guy (that's J-E-R-G-E-N-S, not J-U-R-G-E-N-S...sorry for the confusion)

What is interesting is out of all of these, Gopher has been most descriptive of the job so far. Considering I didn't start until a Wednesday, it was hard to find concrete, important, big-boy things to do around church. This meant delegating such tasks as;

-Organizing the chairs in the sanctuary
-painting large boxes
-removing plastic flowers from the cross outside
-hanging banners on large ladders
-cataloging Pastor Roy's library

Yeah, you're sayings "wow Blake, you're really honing those pastor skills right now. Have you thought about a church custodian job as a career?" Well, actually, I'm glad this summer started this way, with my talents in limbo and my time divided between menial labor and tasks, dare I say, "unfit" for a pastor.

Here's the thing though; ministry is in no way about you. The Greek word for ministry is diakonos which is translated in the form of a noun as a 'servent' or 'one who waits at a table'. This is what a pastor is, a deacon, a servent. To minister to someone is in no way about adhering first and foremost to one's preferences, desires, or inklings about themselves. After all, when did Christ on this earth set out his resume, stating clearly that "I don't wash feet, touch lepers, or scrub toilets." Ministers do dirty work; something I feel many of them (myself included) fail to recognize. It is all too easy when, in suit and tie, Bible in hand with extensive vocabulary and graduate education on hand, to forget that Christ came not to merely teach, instruct, or go on an exhaustive book tour across the Judean countryside. No, he came to love, to serve, to offer a hand to the weak, food for the hungry, and hope for the untouchable, the unintelligent, and the just plain annoying (yes, Christ even loves those who get on our nerves). So, what better way to start a new ministry than to serve by scrubing the toilets and washing a multitude of feet as the 'low guy on the totem pole'. After all, this is what I ask for, that this summer, by grace, I am able to serve whole-heartedly to whatever tasks God will's with hope that my specific, God-given gfts and talents might be honed to better serve him. Thus, if the most academically stimulating activity I've done this week is notice that the banner i just hung up is upside down, so be it.

Next, I was blessed enough to join Chuck and Debbe (my host parents for the month) on their boat going thru the intercoastal waterways around Hilto Head Island. What a blessing! So often, evangelical Christians push the importance of the Bible (and it is, don't get me wrong) and in the process fail to ephesis the general revelation that has been graciously given to us; AKA this amazing earth. What a glorious day when a renewed earth arrives, for this broken masterpiece we live in now is fiercely and utterly amazing to say the least. To see dolphins in backflip, seagulls and turns diving for their lunch, and the formation of anvil-shaped storm clouds on the southern horizon was spectacular in the most superlative sense of the word. I know I'm supposed to be 'working' while I'm down here, but what better way to spend a Saturday than to rejoice is His creation.

Finally, today was the first service I spent at Grace. Thoughts? First, I can tell I've entered the Bible belt of the south. The church is gracious, kind, and full of life though numbers are stoic, if not dwindling, in this community. There is life. Personally, I tend to stray from conservative evangelicalism, which in my opinion and from what I have seen, has often greatly harmed the people they have tried to reach, thus I take such evangelicalism with a grain of salt. After all, I want nothing more than to reach others with the gospel, but as St. Francis said "preach the gospel and, if necessary, use words." and that is something I try to live by. It seems so easy in such communities to turn being evangelical into a numbers game; a ministry whose intent is not on the overquality of the lives of those who have been reached, but rather to add to their number. There's nothing wrong with yearning to, as a church, grow with new believers (prostithemi as we see in the New Testament) but I can't help but feel like this overwhelming love for reaching others can so often become little more than a game, a contest, a skill crane which seeks to pull people from the collection of 'heathens' only to forget about the teal stuffed bear once it is thrown into the closet with the other stuffed animals. I am a firm believer that ministry is in no way a numbers game, it is a game about love. I love Tricia, our children's director, for it is obvious she cares little about the numbers, for she is too busy carrying about the people those numbers might represent. Isn't that what matters, fellow Christians out there? Does our faith have to be dilluted to little more than door-to-door sales pitching rather than the hodogetical process of leading our fellow wounded brothers and sister to the only one who can truly offer any sort of healing or acceptance?

Regardless, I am excited for this church; not only what God intends my role to be, but also how he works in those here.

Concluding, today we had a meeting between the 9 and 11 am services for the children's camp happening over the last weekend in June. Such a blessing to work with kids, after all, they know whats going on when us 'big people' get so wrapped up in life that we forget to smile. While planning, there was one lady whose fierce evangelicalism perterbed me a bit. The way she spoke of these kids, stoically presenting her 'Jesus toys' which could be used to draw kids into the church, it annoyed me. Can we not, as Christians, reach others through our joy rather than merely some, dare i say, cheesy gadgets and gizmos? You know what draws me to certain people? It's never the car they drive, the clothes they wear, or what gadget they have. Sure, I may notice it, comment on it, look at it, but in no way do I care about who that person is and what makes them that way. It is the kindness, charity, and goodness of a man (or womans) heart that forces me to stop and say "how is X so joyful, so different than everyone else." Though blantently explicit evangelical ministry has its place, I dearly hope and pray that in my feeble attempts to conform to Christ, it is not merely my theological knowledge (what little I have), any cheap plastic gismos, or the outspoken forcing of the gospel down throats that draw people to notice me (would it be for the right reason if they paid attention?) Rather, I want people to ask me "why do you smile?" "how do you keep going?" "Why did you act in that way" and it is then that, by His grace, explain such a message of love that keeps me going in this messed up world (and beyond that, has led to forgiveness for my cruddy actions and a heavenly home where I fit). I truly see that in many here at Grace Community Church (i live with two of those types, luckily) but for prayer, give me the strength to live in conformity to Christ, preaching with words if necessary, all the while being a living testamony to the gospel rather than a zealous warrior, fighting a mass war for Christ, caring more for the casualties to the faith he or she creates while ignoring the purpose of such armor; to love one another so that your joy may be full.

Thanks for reading. Love to you all. God bless