The List of Five
Hard Work? - Yes - But Don’t Forget This Essential
Sometimes you may wonder if your effort really matters. I’ve certainly wondered this at times.
I served as a minister for almost four decades before moving to Memphis almost nine years ago to work with Harding School of Theology. The previous twenty years were spent serving a congregation in Waco, Texas.
Throughout these years, I always had a list. Usually, I had multiple lists. I had a list of people to see, of tasks to be done, and people to call. Yet, sometimes even my best efforts felt small and inadequate.
I worked hard as a minister. Sometimes I could see results. Sometimes I could not. Yet, I learned, I was also called to wait. Far too often I was ready to work hard but showed less enthusiasm about waiting for the Lord. After all, sometimes the fruit of this labor ( as a parent, as a faithful Christian in business, or as a minister) may not be apparent for years or even in your lifetime.
Parenting requires a lot of waiting. Ministry requires a lot of waiting. Serving the Lord requires a lot of waiting.
So, we labor and wait.
Author, Austin Kleon wrote the following recently:
Labor and wait, I thought, sounds like the writing process.
You write something, then you put it in the drawer and wait until tomorrow to pull it out and see if it’s any good.
You put together a book proposal, then you send it out and wait to see if anybody buys it.
You finish a draft of your manuscript, then you email it to your editor and wait to see what they think.
You publish a book, and you wait to see if anybody reads it.
This also sounds like the life of a believer who desires to be faithful in making a kingdom difference. We labor and wait.
Are you a parent? You labor and wait. You love, give, serve, encourage, correct, guide, etc. Then, you wait. You may see the fruit of your labor - you may not.
Are you a Christian woman/man in business? You labor and wait. You seek to be salt, leaven, and light in your business and to make a real kingdom difference. You may see the fruit of your labor - you may not.
Are you a minister? You labor and wait. You do your best to serve the church. You may see the fruit of your labor - you may not.
We labor — that is, we love, serve, and obey. We may see results in our lifetime or we may not. Remember Hebrews 11? These people lived by faith. They labored and then they waited. So many of them died, not seeing the promises come to pass in their lifetime (11:13). Yet, we wait today with hope because God is faithful.
As a man, a father, and a minister, I can reflect on my life and ask, “Did I do any good?” Yet, this is not the question. A better question is, “Am I willing to labor and wait?”
Kleon refers to the words of Henry Longfellow from the close of “A Psalm of Life” written after the death of his wife.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
This Can Help You Make Even Better Decisions
We were in a meeting and I spoke. What I said was mostly negative. Later, I regretted being so negative.
The facilitator had been doing a good job moving the conversation along. But, I had allowed my inward frustrations to bubble up and come out with some very negative statements.
I had wasted an important moment to make a positive difference.
Author Austin Kleon said that one of the most important questions we can ask regarding most any decision is: “Will this enlarge me or diminish me?” (Austin Kleon, February 5, 2022)
Have you ever handled a situation poorly and then realized that your behavior was really beneath you? There are behaviors and actions that have a way of diminishing us. They do nothing to form and shape us into a godly people. For example, there are two attitudes I can express that sometimes leave me feeling diminished and uninspired:
Complaining. Some of us tend to focus on the inadequacies and shortcomings of whatever situation is in front of us. As a result, we complain, complain, and complain some more.
Negativity. You may find yourself focusing on the negative. “That won’t work.” “I don’t like that.” “We can’t do that.” You and I may focus on what is lacking or what doesn’t measure up. For example, perhaps you visit friends who have just purchased a house. You come away focusing on the inadequacy and the shortcomings of your own house.
When I complain a lot or am primarily focused on the negative, I often feel disappointed in my behavior. I’m not thinking aspirational thoughts. I’m not thinking about the impact of my words or actions. Instead, I focus on what is wrong.
Yet, our minds, hearts, and thinking can be enlarged by the way we think or speak. We may even find that we experience a fresh energy.
You saw a customer speak to a clerk rudely, leaving her in tears. You spoke kindly to the clerk acknowledging the customer’s poor behavior. You felt good that you had validated the way the woman felt and lifted her spirits.
You tried to encourage a little boy, the child of a single mom, who was playing in his first baseball game. He seemed to listen to every word you said.
You read a book which captured your heart and mind. You were sad to see it end. You felt enriched after having read it.
You took a trip to another country. You saw how other people lived, what they ate, and how they lived. The experience was enriching.
Bottom line: What does my presence bring to another? Would that person say that I basically complain and gripe a lot? Or would that person say that he/she is encouraged or enriched by my presence?
When You Long to Go Home
Sometimes, I long to be a boy again.
I grew up in one house in southeast Dallas and lived there through my childhood. We lived on Alhambra street in a red brick house, just down the street from the KSKY radio station tower.
My memories of that house and that neighborhood are still very clear and important to me. Yet, today, I can’t find that home or even attempt to recreate it. So much has changed. The setting. The neighborhood.
Those days were a bit simpler. Pre-Internet. Pre-cell phone. Pre-computer. Things seemed safer and more secure. Yes, this was another time.
I can’t go home again. My father and mother are both deceased. My brother is not a little boy but a man living near DFW Airport. My sister is no little girl but a mother and grandmother with her own life. The home I remember is one that I cannot find again — at least right now. (I first began to think about this after reading Lynn Anderson’s fine book, Longing for a Homeland.)
However, it is true. Many of us yearn or long for home.
Yet, I will go home. I am one heartbeat away from going home to live in the presence of God forever. You and I may talk about this home, what it is like, etc. but for now, just know that being at home with God is the place where everything is just right.
In the meantime — you and I may experience difficulty, struggle, and pain. But this is not my destiny. I don’t have to be preoccupied with what I want to buy, experience, or do. I don’t have to create the ultimate life. Knowing that I am going home, gives me perspective.
Maybe this is what I need today. What about you?
What I Wish More Church Members Knew About Their Minister (Especially for ministers and other church leaders)
I was thinking recently about some of the wonderful ministers I know. These people, for a variety of reasons, often describe their ministries over the last two and half years (since the beginning of COVID-March 2020) as “very hard” or “exhausting.” The following are the thoughts of one minister (me). Perhaps you will resonate with at least a few of these.
I wish more church members knew the difficulty of their minister’s work. Now of course, I am not suggesting that ministers are the only people who work hard. Of course not! Yet, most of the ministers I know do work very hard. When I was a young minister, I remember hearing the old line about preachers working one hour a week. (Seemed like each person who told me this tired old line thought it was still funny.) I realized, at some point, that some of these people really had no idea what I was doing all week.
I wish more church members knew the cost of their hurtful and frustrating remarks. Yes, a minister ought to have a tender heart and thick skin. At the same time, this does not give church members permission to be rude or passive-aggressive in what they say.
We were seconds away from beginning our morning service. I was standing at the front of our auditorium, about to welcome the church, when a lady in the third pew said aloud to me “I am so angry with you!” I was not expecting this. I paused for a few moments to collect my wits. Her comment spoken at that moment, felt like someone had let the air out of my spirit for the morning.
I wish more church members knew how difficult it is to preach week after week. Someone asked me a few years ago, “Jim, how do you come up with new and fresh material each week?” Whatever he saw in my preaching reflected many hours of prayer, paying attention to the congregation and culture, reading, and intentional personal growth. It takes a lot of work to preach week after week. Most preachers I know do not quickly put together a message for Sunday. To preach for any length of time takes far more work than some might realize.
I wish more church members knew that their minister probably needs encouragement. In many congregations, there are people who are generally very encouraging to their preacher. Yet, many of us (including some elders) may underestimate just how important this is.
Sometimes preachers can become overwhelmed by the number of troubled people, those in crisis, and others with chronic issues who make up a congregation. On top of this are funerals and weddings. Add to this, those few in the congregation who have are the regular critics. (Author Steve Cuss refers to them as the “usual suspects.”)
Yet, in far too many congregations, the people who love their preacher and appreciate his ministry remain silent. They don’t criticize. They don’t praise. They say absolutely nothing. If you appreciate the person who is preaching to your church each week, encouragement in some form can mean so much. Again, these people often need more encouragement than we may realize.
Listening and Reading Resources
I listened to an excellent interview as David French and Curtis Chang as they interview Dr. Karen Swallow Prior. She speaks about social media and its impact on reading among other things.
I may have already mentioned this book but just in case I haven’t, I am reading Stuck: Why Clergy are Alienated from Their Calling, Congregation, and Career . . . and What to Do about it. The authors are two sociologists, Todd W. Ferguson and Josh Packard.
Have listened to about half of historian David McCullough’s fine book The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. I don’t know if it is his voice or his storytelling ability but I always enjoy hearing his audio books.
Each Thursday/Friday, I post about ten tweets especially for ministers and other believers as they anticipate Sunday. You can find me @jimmartin.
I serve as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee. Every other Monday morning, I publish this “Encouragement Note.” You can subscribe at jimmartin.substack.com. You can also find me on Facebook - @jim.martin or Instagram - @jimmartin.jm. My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging or helpful. — Jim Martin
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