Fun with people and their hurt feelings

As the very few of you that check on this blog know, I don't get to it as often as I would like. But hey, not like its compelling reading or anything! Well, I would like to talk about some stuff from this month since I laid out my big 'new year plans.'

I had my first experience with someone that had to be told no at Impact Church. Wasn't a huge deal and she wasn't completely in left field, but I did have to hurt her feelings a little bit. Her desire was to give an announcement in front of the church and she had always been given that freedom in her previous church(es). Not that we wouldn't let her do it, but she wanted to deliver a pretty serious announcement in a really silly way that would actually turn off her target audience.

Well, when it comes to telling people like this no it can very naturally fall onto my to-do list. It was very stressful and it started off very intense and she was very hurt. The conversation lasted for a while but in the end all was well and no one was left feeling uncared for or resentful. It was a cool experience as I look back on it because I had never had to handle that side of ministry. Telling someone no, that is, at the cost of hurting their feelings. It wasn't fun but I learned a whole lot about what I am doing through it. It was a good way to get my feet wet in this unavoidable part of ministry.

It may not seem like it was some earth shattering lesson or event - frankly it might hardly be worth mentioning. It was however a milestone in my experiences in pastoral ministry. Can't wait to see what is coming next!

I hope you are all doing well. I hope to email or talk to many of you very soon.

Getting back to normal

Since Christmas time is over and all of the relatives have gone back to their own dens I am starting to slip back into my routine, as is Christy. I have been neglecting my house, my LONG list of projects and a few things that I had been wanting to acomplish for church. 2007 is the first year that I have set goals for myself to accomplish. Really, I have never considered actually setting up 'new years resolutions' because I figure that they won't get done to my satisfaction. So these goals are not resolutions, they are goals and they happen to have been set around the new year.

The first goal is very important to me. Not because its the most important, but because its the lynch pin to all the rest of my goals. I am going to start using the tools that I already own to keep myself organized. Do you know that I have a computer strapped to my belt every day? Yea, its my phone/Pocket PC and I have only been using it to about 10% of its potential since I have owned it. Not anymore. I am putting my entire life into it, down to getting the mail every day. I am getting serious about not letting things sneak up on me either. I have decided to do everything as if it needs to be done at least 1 day before it really needs to be done. Maybe more for bigger things.

The next goal is also good for me, I want to start making improvements to my house. Small ones, I have no interest in big home renovation projects. I want to do little projects that will make subtle improvements around this place and hopefully when I am done I will have a nice group of things that come together to just make a nicer home. Also, I want to do this without spending much money, so I will be working with my hands a lot this year. I have already completed my first project, and I am very proud of it I might add. I built a real laundry station in the garage. Its pretty cool, I will post a picture soon.

My final goal is probably the biggest and hardest to quantify. This year I am going to get serious about being a pastor for Impact Church, that even means being able to teach! Up 'til now, I have been the church administrator. All I means is that I have been so consumed by the tasks of life at Impact Church that I have lost sight of the spiritual leading that is required of me. I will work hard to set aside time each week for study and prayer and will be asking most often for the same thing Solomon asked for: wisdom so that I may lead as is required of me. I will have a verse for this year: 'And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.' - 1 Corinthians 11:1. That was Paul's advice to the church as a leader of that church. I think its a charge for me to make my spiritual walk in Christ something that I can offer as an example at Impact Church. Scary stuff...