Don't Answer the Phone!

Season 3, episode 9

Response-ability

How many of us like to feel important? How many of us like to feel like we have something important and worthwhile to offer? Perhaps an egoistical question, but something that lies beneath the reasoning that many of us go into the ministry, medicine, law, or many other vocations. We think we have something of value that can help people and we want to help people. This is good, but to a point.

There is the very real danger of over-responding. This is the danger of always being “on call” of always being ready to put on your firefighter’s hat and jump into the fire no matter what. This is the danger of looking to be the hero.

We don’t need another hero. At least not from you all the time.

There are other pastors. There are other doctors. There are other whatevers. So take a day off and don’t answer the phone.

If you do, try to figure out what is an emergency and what is not. Try to have a back-up plan or support group so you do not have to do everything. Try to be someone who is a pastor more than a chaplain – leading people in faith rather than only sitting with them in their wounds. Let your family make demands of you; they deserve your time as well. And finally trust that God is there and will stay there.

You are not God.

You cannot be God.

Stop it.

For your edification, here is the link to the article wementioned in this segment about churches demanding much from their pastors.

And the passage Charley opened with was Matthew 10.

Railige

Charley is angry that he is not sending birthday cards to family members. Sounds like Charley needs to get a grip.

Jonathan is tired of people looking to come up with clever ways to attract people to come to church, missing the point that it is about sharing the gospel, not attracting people to church.

He is also angry at interfaith discussions geared towards unity. Stop it. Look for a sense of understanding that will lead to peace and let go of the desire for unity. Sounds like Jonathan needs to loosen his grumpy old man pants.

Opening the Word –

Psalm 8

What a piece of work is man…

Notice how humanity is elevated and yet is still less than God. Feel good about yourself, but not too good. Enjoy the grandeur of God that is seen in creation. Feel good about yourself again, but not too good.

Watcha Into?

Charley – Vox AC4TV amplifier (note the glassing over of the eyes by everyone who does not play guitar) and Evernote (the app for everything).

Jonathan – the movie The Baader Mienhof Complex and the book The Anticipatory Corpse by Jeffery Bishop (which he wrote about in his blog)

Next episode – Being Called (don’t answer, it could be a collection agency!)