Staying fresh
Now that I’m not a pastor in my daily life, I find that I’m feeling really unspiritual and dispassionate. I know that I’m in a season of rest and healing, but still, I don’t like feeling distant from my God. Now, I know that much of what I feel is influenced by the enemy, planting destructive ideas in my head. I don’t want to give in to discouragement, so I take captive these thoughts and drag them before God as much as I can.
Anyways, I have found some fresh things that I wish to share (now that I’m feeling more together… HA!). I guess I am suffering from transition. I no longer worship with a group of people as much as I did as a youth pastor. I no longer study the word as much, talk about spiritual things in conversation, pray with people, speak truth to people etc. And as with all relationships – the more you cultivate them – the more rewarding they are. So of course I will feel a little weird about my connection to God now that I’m out of church ministry for a time. But this is an opportunity to forge a kind of connection with God that is more removed from my job. I get to be even more personal with Him in my spiritual disciplines.
So prayer has become more moment by moment, sharing my thoughts with God. Study has become good reading material. Worship is now conversations with my wife about the wonders of God. My passion for the Word has led me to try reading “the Message” paraphrase of the bible alongside my NIV in daily time with God. Seriously – if your relationship with the Word is not fresh and needs a boost – INVEST. Pick up a New Living Translation, or a copy of the Message “…just to shake things up” (Frozone). Remember the Message is not a translation, but a paraphrase. It is meant to give you a new perspective on the things written in the Bible. Not to replace you copy of the living Word.
I love my daily experience of God. He enjoys a good cup of coffee, and he has some great ideas on lightsaber building.
posted by Rob Petkau at 11:54 AM
6 Comments:
It's funny since I just flipped through a copy of "The Message" for the first time.. and fresh is a good word to describe it! Will check it out more in the near future ;)
A suggestion,
Now look at it like you've never been in church ministry before. See how hard it is for those not in leadership or a paid position?... Or those on the fringe of church and community?
Actually, regarding the Message, Eugene Peterson followed all the same rules biblical scholars did in writing the Message and it is in everyway a translation. The only difference is that it is attributed to him alone as opposed to translations that are decided upon by a committee (even though he did have a small group of scholars who gave input on the project).
I work at the Regent coffee shop now so I get the inside track on some of this type of stuff.
Its pretty cool how worship doesn't have to be singing, how all those things you used to do as a pastor you still do with God, just not in the same way. It's pretty amazing actually. People could say about pastors that they do the God stuff because it's their job. I don't think that's how it works, but some might. You fully show that up. Keep it up.
Funny, 'cause i just looked at the cover of "the message" lying around my house, and it said "The Bible in contemporary language"... I was wondering if that was heretical. Now it seems more justified thanks to Moore's comment.
Keep it real dudes
Keep it fresh
It seems like the distance you're feeling could be an underlying reality in the life of many of us, but just covered by all the "ministry" stuff we do. Remove the stuff and it gets personal. Love ya man...blaze the trail.
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