Food for thought

Sorry I didn't write a blog last week - I was off having fun on our annual Bible-Centred Youthworker Conference. This week one of the guys from that conference sent me his newsletter. He has kindly allowed me to quote two chunks from it - thanks Matt! I won't add any comments to them. I found his thoughts very stimulating - and hope you will too.

'How does one pursue a career in which a central quality is meekness of spirit?  How does one be ambitious about a calling which asks us to die to self?  How does one be a leader of men when one's motive should be motivated by servant-hood?  How can one strive for success in a field where complete dependence on God is required?  Actually these statements should and do apply to everyone who considers themselves a follower of Jesus.  We are all called to minister with our lives no matter our occupation.  However, these questions are particularly applicable and difficult for me who finds himself called to ministry in the traditional sense.  How much should my current activities be motivated by a desire to be qualified and successful? We live in a world where employers look just as hard at the resume-CV of those aspiring to be pastors as to medical doctors.  Every resume expert will tell you to speak as glowingly as you can about yourself without actually lying.  They will say to use exciting adjectives such as: passionate, motivated, creative, enthusiastic, imaginative, organized, dynamic, inspirational, bursting with ideas, exceptional.  And if you think this doesn't apply to pastors, these adjectives were all taken directly from advertisements for ministry-workers at the back of a Christian magazine I looked at recently.'

and...

'It's amazing how long someone can be a Christian, how many times one can have read the Bible, and how many classes one can have taken, and yet still be at a quite elementary level faith-wise.  My guess is that much that looks like the growth of a Christian is really more growth into the culture of Christianity, or growth into deeper head-knowledge of your particular church's beliefs, rather than actually growing closer to God and growing to trust Him more moment by moment.'