By the Lake

I took my father for a ride and lunch  yesterday. It was beautiful - the sun stayed out for the duration of our tour; clouding up only as we neared home. I drove him around Linesville which is situated near the top of Pymatuning Lake. (lotsa bogs there!) Its the town where he was born, in the Baptist Church's manse. When he was 6 years old, his father was transfered to ..."Transfer", Pa, which was his final assignment as a pastor. But he had a lot of memories to relate to me. We drove up to his house - but there's a factory there now, and the church burned several years ago and a new one was built in another part of town. It was 82 years ago that he left -but he pointed to several homes and named the families and friends that lived there. He told me of coming home from school one day with wet pants. When his mom asked him how it happened he told her that there was a stop sign...  I can tell we're related.

We had lunch at a great little restaurant called "Rebecca's". The owner knew him. Wonderful food. He wants to go back. After that we drove around the outskirts toward the lake's spillway and spotted some deer and then a huge flock of geese. (see above photo -just a few). And then we turned home where our discussion turned to quitting one's goals.

My grandfather quit pastoring after his last transfer - although he would still preach on a fill in basis. It was during the depression and money in small town churches was not substantial for a family of 5 kids. Dad seems to think there was more to the story. I agree, as grandfather left his family as well. He seems to think his dad quit out of frustration.

This is a common event in ministry. There is an enemy constantly whispering in pastor's "ears" with thousands of reasons to not minister to God's people. Frustration enters as a final stage in considering the argument against God's calling. Its an agreement with the adversary that one's efforts are, in fact, ineffectual - a waste of everyone's time and money. It is disagreement with the Word, with God. And when the pastor not rescued and leaves his ministry the effects reverberate. Families are left behind - and sons never hear why.

Congregations can enter in this turn of events as well. They forget that God's the one who does the calling and placing. If a preacher doesn't preach to their liking - why they go all out to get rid of them. Bad idea. God always has a plan / reason for putting his leaders where he does. God's leaders need to be supported by their people, not manipulated. They really are not expendable or disposable. We are a people called to love; above all. We are to help each other; above all.

Sometimes we do get our feet stuck in the mire. But if we are walking as children of God, as a family, we can minister to each other and pull each other out. We can talk things out, taking care of each other so that he predominant words in our ears are Godly - not destructive, or frustrating and devastating whispers. 

Dad said he'll probably never know why his dad  left. I wanted to tell him that yeh he'd find out some day when they meet again. But then I thought , "Well, no! When we all meet at the return - it will no longer even matter."  It'll no longer be a hurt. We'll be engulfed in glory and praise eternally. =]

cJa