Thursday, November 5, 2009

the idea of a thing

The idea of a thing is sometimes better than the thing itself. You want to have a child, but then pregnancy is miserable. You want the child to be born, but then it cries all night and keeps you awake. [now don't read too much into those last two lines, I am just trying to make a point.]

You want to be a Pastor, then you feel burdened from the pressure to preach something really good every Sunday. You want to start a new church, then you feel funny when some of the wonderful folks at your church, whom you have asked to consider going to the new church, actually make the decision to go. [that was a run on sentence]

We have asked folks to sign on with the new church. I want some of you to do that. We need more of you to do so. But, when I find out who they are that are leaving, it hurts a bit.

Well, that is just too bad. Sometimes you have to hurt. The baby never gets born without labor and delivery. The child never grows up without struggling through the passages of life. And new church starts are joyfully painful.

On the Sunday when the folks for the new church [the Beacon UMC] come up front and are prayed for and are sent out to start the work, I will cry. But I will also be happy, for I do believe that this is one of the most Christian things that a church can do.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

as in your example pain gives forth to joy... we can't imagine what joy is waiting just around the corner. thanks for your transparency