work

This weekend we installed new playground equipment for the Early Childhood Center at Christ Lutheran where I've been assisting for a number of months while their senior pastor recovers from a cardiac arrest. Given the scope of the project, we worked on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we ended up with about 30 volunteers who came out to work, while on Sunday, it was more like 5. This amount of participation had a major impact on my role each day, a reality I summarized with the following tweet on Sunday evening: "Yesterday, on the playground construction, i worked less and directed more. Today was more fun, but yesterday was more rewarding."

You see, on Sunday, given the small number of volunteers, it was easy for all of us to stay on task and just keep working. As a result, I worked myself into the ground and ended up with that wonderful exhausted feeling that, at least in my mind, is quite fun. However, on Saturday, I noticed at one point that we hand a number of volunteers who were standing around trying to figure out what to do. Rather than continuing to work, I shifted roles and began to point out things that needed to be taken care of. I got a couple of volunteers going on one project, then a few more on another. Once they were all working, I figured out some other projects that we could get people working on once those were done. In the end, I engaged in a lot less physical labor and I didn't have nearly as much fun, but the volunteers felt as if they were valued and we accomplished far more than we would have otherwise.

So, Sunday was fun, but Saturday was rewarding.

Well, here it is, just before 6am on November 11 and, after 12 times getting on an airplane in the past two months, I think I get to keep my feet on the ground for a while. While it's been great for ministry (all but one trip was church related), it's been exhausting, prevented me from doing some of the things I've wanted to do around Denver, and, most regrettably, been tough on the family.

On the positive side, more people have heard about being equipped for vocational evangelism through the Ablaze! Connection, The Fishbowl has a solid new partner in LHM and will launch on Easter Sunday (preceded by LHM lent devotionals), and the general vision of ministry "Genesis style" has been cast to a far broader audience.

During this time things have also picked up on the ministry front at home. Later this month I'm going to take a group from Christ Lutheran (Franklin and Yale) through a strategic planning process to help form a new worshiping community there on Saturday nights (I'll also be pastoring this community). Then, come January, I'll be preaching at Christ every Sunday until their senior pastor recovers from a heart attack.

Anyway, I'm not sure what the point on this is, other than a praise that I'm home for a while and prayers that it doesn't kill me. For now, I need to go catch my bus so I can be in the pulpit on time.

Don't forget to take time today to celebrate all of the opportunities God gives you in your daily life to love your neighbor through your employment, you know, things like loving your boss by putting in an honest 8-hour day, loving your co-workers by not trying to undermine them in a game of office politics, and loving customers by serving them well and providing them with the best quality products possible.

What other God honoring acts of loving your neighbor are you engaged in at your work?