40 Hour Call

The last few weeks have been filled with what I usually call the madness of the Fall season. The New Year’s still 4 months away, but for many of us the Fall always feels like the new year.

• The kids go back to school.
• The vacation season is over.
• The church gears up for a new season of ministry.
• New programs are introduced.
• New series are begun.

Like every leader in a church, I always feel the weight and excitement of the “New Year” unfolding in front of us. I find The Call compelling me to retool, refit so the season turns from summer to autumn.

I’ve learned something in these times, a hard truth, one that could seed frustration. The Call – The purpose of our lives doesn’t fit a 40-hour work week. Every August ends the same way, many meetings, many hours of administration and much planning on top of what is normally required.

I’m in my 3rd week of the joke of a 40, 45, or even 55 hour work week and it’s not over yet! I still battle my emotions during this season. I get tired, the load seems great. Patience is thin. It becomes too easy to feel robbed of time off.

But I’ve learned that my frustration is heightened because I’ve been lulled into thinking The Call – the purpose of our lives fits into a 40-hour week.
Leaders – real leaders, those ones who rise and get it done. They know a deep truth.

The Call – The purpose of our lives was never intended to fit into a 40-hour week. Or a Sunday morning, a Sunday evening youth meeting, a Wednesday night study or 2 hours of children’s ministry.

The Call – The purpose of our lives is who we are and what we are.
Sometimes it fits neatly into clearly defined schedules and time limits. Other times it asks for more. And leaders get it done.

Why?

“For the Sake of the Call!”

For every leader who in this season is getting things done. May you know the smile of the Author of the Call.

When Mentors Mentor

Last Sunday, a Ministerial student preached his first sermon ever. I was privileged to not just have him do it in my pulpit, but to have walked with him through the process of sermon development. This Sunday, a mission student will share his first sermon. Again, I have been intimately involved in his preparation.

Both young men felt the weight of responsibility and the weight of significance of preaching as they prepared. Both have battled feelings of inadequacy, fear and nerves. While they each selected their own passages to exposit, I have had an impact on how they prepared and how they deliver their messages. With both young men, I have grown closer and we now share things that others will never understand. The crafting of a proposition statement, preaching keywords that guide a sermon, the power of story to connect with listeners. All these we now share.

What happens when mentors, mentor?
They increase their impact on the world and the kingdom, and they share with others what they have learned and know about their gifts.

What happens when mentors, mentor?
They develop deeper relationships with those in whom they invest.

What happens when mentors, mentor?
They enjoy the satisfaction of watching others succeed in areas they have traversed.

What happens when mentors, mentor?
They lead.