The Pastoral Grind

Practice...If you've had any interest in basketball or sports media in the last 10 years, then you probably remember Allen Iverson's press conference  rant  from 2002 on this topic.  You mention the word around me, and to this day A.I.'s voice pops into my head mocking the reporters, "We're talking about practice!"  This topic is our focus this week, coming from the theme presented at the young peoples' retreat I was on this weekend and re-iterated today in a conversation with a friend and her dad. When we think about the Christian life, there are certain principles and practices that are meant to be included.   Matthew 25:31-40 teaches believers metaphorically about their duties.  The sheep who inherit the kingdom of heaven are those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and in prison.  In John 3:21 , we find Jesus teaching that those who do what is true come to the light so that their wo

The Pastoral Grind.... "Sounds like being a pastor is hard and dreadful work." "But you're not a pastor, you're a seminary student."  After choosing this name for my blog, these were two of the comments I received from colleagues so let me try to un-muddy the waters. First, while I am not (yet) an ordained pastor in any denomination, I am working my way through seminary and am currently interning with a congregation in which i have pastoral duties.  I don't preach every week or make all of the care visits, but I am called upon to observe and at times take on these duties as well as others.  While I cannot attribute a title to my name, I believe that God has called me to be a pastor and that I have begun to faithfully serve him in this capacity. Second, my use of the word "grind" is not meant to make ministry sound disheartening, but rather is intended to imply that ministry is a labor.  Ministry is a labor which is gritty, personal, and goe