(part three)
read part one here.
read part two here.
continuing...
I'm jealous. It sounds like I need an administrative assistant, too! #sarcasm How might you counsel someone in your congregation that is strugging with their spiritual journey because of how "busy" they are but don't have the luxury of a personal secretary?
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Having such a great admin assistant has been a real blessing. I definitely don't take her for granted, especially after having such a bad one last year which added to my workload as I was having to do my job while constantly checking up on hers. So, the way I would counsel someone is the same way I counseled myself during that time - prioritize. I write out each week the things I have to do, the non-negotiables, and I include time with my family and personal time with God in that. Then I look at the optional stuff, the things I would like to do - what of that is most important. Back in the day I did the Franklin-Covey time management training where you assign everything on your 'to-do" list a priority letter - A,B, C, D (A being something that absolutely has to be done this day/week and D being something with no time-table on it). I still use that and teach others to do the same. I'm able to get done probably a little more than the average person because I function just fine on 4-5 hours of sleep. 4 is probably my average. That lets me get some of my private stuff, like my prayer and devotional time, done without rush but I still have plenty of time to do other things. Someone who needs their 8 hours would have to prioritize a little differently.
The problem, I think, with our hectic, busy world is we allow the "world" to dictate too much of our schedule instead of us intentionally choosing it. People are always demanding a piece of my time and if I'm not very selective and intentional with my calendar I would never get anything accomplished. I think the same applies in any situation, not just a pastor.
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Talk more about your ideas on how the "world" dictates too much of our schedule. It is this blog's opinion that people too often use the excuse of being "too busy" to never actually do or care about anything of substance. How do you encourage a congregation to avoid those types of trappings?
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I 100% agree with your assessment. I don't think that's too often intentional, though. I think it's more lack of intentionality. Or maybe I should just say laziness. So, when I say the world dictates our schedule, I absolutely believe that's a choice on our part. Because we don't prioritize, because we don't see what's most important and honor commitments, we allow our schedule to fill up with just whatever comes along. That's especially the case with kids. We need to realize that our kids don't need to run us ragged doing every activity under the sun. It's not good for the parents or the kids. I let my kids play a fall sport and a spring sport. We take the winter and summer off. The kids need unstructured time as much as the parents. They kids also (like the parents) need to spend time focusing on others, serving in some kind of mission work, and not just wrapped up in their own activities. So, again, it goes back to understanding truly what's most important and intentionally building your calendar around those things.
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Let's switch gears and readdress some of what brought us together for this conversation. Politics and the art of political discourse. You have remarked earlier in the interview that you do not subscribe to one party's complete set of ideologies. Yet, congregations often look towards their Pastors to test their own internal barometers when it comes to how they participate in the national and local political conversations. How can you toe the middle and also empower your congregants to explore issues of social justice when those issues often become hot button talking points?
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I think you’re quite right that people often look to their pastors for guidance, especially on perceived moral issues, but even just on overall political discourse. I don’t want to tell people how to think. The last thing I want in my church is a bunch of zombies or clones. And I don’t think it’s my job as pastor to tell them what to think. I do think it’s my job to guide them through the principles and so I do that. For me, the Bible is the final word. And I’m not talking about scripture ripping. I’m talking about solid foundational theological principles. The general stance I take is where the Bible is clear, I will be clear. Where the Bible is gray, we will allow room for differences of opinion. Let’s take the big hot button issue right now – gun control. I think the Bible is extremely clear that all life is valuable and no life should be taken. I think the Bible is also very clear that we should protect innocent life and do everything in our power to do so. I think it’s safe to say that neither of us would disagree with those two foundational statements. But does the Bible address whether or not a person should own a weapon in their home? Does the Bible address whether taking the life of a perpetrator is worth it to save an innocent life? Not really. At least not without some excessive scripture ripping. I think it’s pretty gray on that matter. And so we allow room for disagreement. You and I share the same goal, yet we see very different solutions as to how that should happen. We’re still friends and brothers in Christ.
So, to answer your question, I will be clear when I think the Bible is clear, but I try to empower my congregants to think through these issues on their own, not believe it just because I say it. I’m not Jesus. I don’t have the final say on things. I would never intentionally lead people astray but some very smart, spiritual people have held opinions different from me. I especially try to teach, and model, that we love each other even in our disagreements. Where we go wrong is trying to declare an absolute when scripture does not just because it’s our opinion.
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So, you are pro-guns but against the death penalty?
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Yes.
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to be concluded...
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