Have you ever met somebody who is always positive, always looking on “the bright side,” always able to point out the silver lining (What the heck is silver lining anyway? The closest thing to silver lining I can think of is the silky, shiny lining on the inside of a casket, and let’s face it, that’s not a very positive thing to think about at all.), and who never seems to admit that anything about any situation could ever, possibly be even slightly less than perfect? Sure you’ve met someone like that. We all have. The real question is whether or not you managed to keep from hitting them and saying, "Yo! Look on the bright side of that!"
Those of you who know me well know that I tend to be more of… a realist. That is, of course, the best way to be. (I say that only slightly tongue in cheek and with only a little sarcasm.) With my endless free time, though, I've been watching the slick, smiling Joel Osteen on TV, and I’ve decided that I need to start trying to live My Best Life Now. That undoubtedly has to start with being a little more positive. With that in mind, I’ve come up with a very positive list.
The Top Nine Benefits of Being Unemployed
(Because I couldn’t think of 10)
9. It’s like having unlimited vacation… though it is unlimited UNPAID vacation. Minor detail.
8. I don’t contribute to the statistics showing the loss of productivity during March Madness.
7. Instead of freaking out and frantically fretting, “How can I manage to get everything done today?” I can ask, “How can I manage to find something to get done today?”
6. Two words: Online Gaming.
5. Two more words: Daytime Television! Ummm… maybe not.
4. Knowing when my wife leaves for work at 7:30 that I can sleep till noon and nobody will even know. Seriously, I don’t sleep till noon… but I COULD.
3. I pay less taxes.
2. Shower? What shower?
1. It helps me appreciate the blessings of having a good, honest, meaningful job, even when it is difficult or frustrating.
Have you ever been sans paycheck? What positive(s) did you find in it?
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Untitled (Really, that's the title!)
One of the questions bouncing around my head lately as I try and figure out what the future looks like has to do with my identity as a “pastor.” Is a pastor really a pastor without a church to pastor? Is a minister without a place to minister really a minister at all? If a tree falls in a woods and no one is there to hear it… oh, sorry.
Really, this is something I’ve been mulling over for several years now. I’ve wondered if the whole idea that some people are called and set aside for this special, weird assignment of being a 40-50/hour a week paid staff person in a local church is as much a biblical construct as it is one born of convenience and tradition. That’s not to say it’s wrong, just that maybe it’s not grounded in scripture.
As someone who has had the great privilege of having his livelihood provided for by the generosity and sacrifice of people in local churches, it may sound weird to say, but allow me to suggest that I am no more called than you are. We are ALL called to follow Jesus and live our lives as fully, radically devoted followers of Christ, and I think it’s tragic that we reserve that language of call for the “professionals” in “full-time ministry.” It seems to me that our work (whatever that happens to be), our kids sports leagues and school activities, and our every day comings and goings are to be our full-time ministry, done for the glory of God and the growth of the Kingdom. Certainly God calls individuals to do certain things, but that’s just it. God calls more than just some of us; he calls all of us, and he calls all of us to ministry full-time.
It’s at least partially because of that conviction that I’ve never been much for having some ministry-related title affixed to my name. I get some crazy looks when I tell people this, but I have never liked for people to call me Reverend Bunting or Pastor Geoff or anything of the sort. I have been and will always be just Geoff, no title needed. My identity is follower of Jesus. My occupation is pastor… or was… or… I don’t know. But my point is, we don’t typically go around referring to everyone else by their occupation. “Hey there, Banker Bob! How’s it going, Construction Worker Carl? Nice day, isn’t it, Wal-Mart Greeter Wilma? How’s life, Unemployed… Uma?” And even as I’m preaching or teaching or doing whatever it is that pastors do, I’m likely no more serving God out of the calling he’s given me than many of the other people I see on Sunday mornings; it may just look different. Up until a month ago I have been serving as a pastor. That is certainly a part of who I am. But there is more that identifies me than the fact that I draw a paycheck from a church… especially since I no longer draw a paycheck from a church… or any place else. Minor detail.
As I’ve been thinking and praying and reading over the past few weeks I’ve been realizing that sometimes I get so caught up in what God has called me to DO (whatever that might just happen to be) that I forget who he has called me to BE. Feel free to disagree, but my identity has never been as a pastor, a student, a whatever. For the past 14 years of my life I have been a follower of Jesus first and foremost. That is my identity. That is who I am. Everything else is secondary.
So whatever I do for a career and however I draw a paycheck, I will be serving in ministry, and I will be serving in a church; I may just not be drawing a paycheck from a career of serving in a church. And if that is what God leads me to do, I’m okay with that. Because regardless of what I do, my identity is as a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. And beyond that, no title is needed.
P.S. I've included links here and here to a couple of blog posts that really hit home with me about this same issue.
Really, this is something I’ve been mulling over for several years now. I’ve wondered if the whole idea that some people are called and set aside for this special, weird assignment of being a 40-50/hour a week paid staff person in a local church is as much a biblical construct as it is one born of convenience and tradition. That’s not to say it’s wrong, just that maybe it’s not grounded in scripture.
As someone who has had the great privilege of having his livelihood provided for by the generosity and sacrifice of people in local churches, it may sound weird to say, but allow me to suggest that I am no more called than you are. We are ALL called to follow Jesus and live our lives as fully, radically devoted followers of Christ, and I think it’s tragic that we reserve that language of call for the “professionals” in “full-time ministry.” It seems to me that our work (whatever that happens to be), our kids sports leagues and school activities, and our every day comings and goings are to be our full-time ministry, done for the glory of God and the growth of the Kingdom. Certainly God calls individuals to do certain things, but that’s just it. God calls more than just some of us; he calls all of us, and he calls all of us to ministry full-time.
It’s at least partially because of that conviction that I’ve never been much for having some ministry-related title affixed to my name. I get some crazy looks when I tell people this, but I have never liked for people to call me Reverend Bunting or Pastor Geoff or anything of the sort. I have been and will always be just Geoff, no title needed. My identity is follower of Jesus. My occupation is pastor… or was… or… I don’t know. But my point is, we don’t typically go around referring to everyone else by their occupation. “Hey there, Banker Bob! How’s it going, Construction Worker Carl? Nice day, isn’t it, Wal-Mart Greeter Wilma? How’s life, Unemployed… Uma?” And even as I’m preaching or teaching or doing whatever it is that pastors do, I’m likely no more serving God out of the calling he’s given me than many of the other people I see on Sunday mornings; it may just look different. Up until a month ago I have been serving as a pastor. That is certainly a part of who I am. But there is more that identifies me than the fact that I draw a paycheck from a church… especially since I no longer draw a paycheck from a church… or any place else. Minor detail.
As I’ve been thinking and praying and reading over the past few weeks I’ve been realizing that sometimes I get so caught up in what God has called me to DO (whatever that might just happen to be) that I forget who he has called me to BE. Feel free to disagree, but my identity has never been as a pastor, a student, a whatever. For the past 14 years of my life I have been a follower of Jesus first and foremost. That is my identity. That is who I am. Everything else is secondary.
So whatever I do for a career and however I draw a paycheck, I will be serving in ministry, and I will be serving in a church; I may just not be drawing a paycheck from a career of serving in a church. And if that is what God leads me to do, I’m okay with that. Because regardless of what I do, my identity is as a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. And beyond that, no title is needed.
P.S. I've included links here and here to a couple of blog posts that really hit home with me about this same issue.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Did you pray about it?
That’s a fair question to ask a follower of Christ whenever he or she is facing a tough decision, isn’t it? I think so. In fact, it may be a question we don’t ask enough. After all, if we are struggling to know what to do or what to choose or which way to go, why wouldn’t we want to seek help from the author of all wisdom and knowledge who loves us and is the source of our purpose and direction? Seriously. And the truth is, a lot of times we just don’t do that? So if as we are on the threshold of some major, life-changing decision and seeking the wise counsel of a trusted friend, a gentle reminder to humbly and honestly seek God with every last bit of ourselves like the fate of the world depends on it may be the best advice a person can give.
But most of the time when somebody has asked me that question, it hasn’t been pre-decision as a way of guiding me to find my answer from the all-knowing God of the universe. It has been post-decision as a way of saying, “What they heck are you thinking?” Have you ever had that happen?
Now, granted, the question itself isn’t unreasonable, especially when it’s asked to someone who generally desires to follow Jesus. But most of the time when I’m asked that question, especially post-decision, it’s not really a question at all; it’s a statement of disapproval. It’s a roundabout way of saying, “I wouldn’t have done it that way. I don’t approve. And I think you’re an idiot.” But when it’s couched in that oh-so-spiritual-sounding phrase, the implication is, “There is NO WAY you’ve actually prayed about this because I really don’t believe God would lead you in that direction. I haven’t actually prayed about it myself, but we’re talking about you here.”
Those of you who know me well know that I tend to be a little… unconventional sometimes. I’m not much for conformity and I really don’t care too much if people think I’ve lost my mind, so I’ve heard THE QUESTION and others like it more than a few times from semi-well-intentioned people. What I’m learning more and more all the time, though, is how much of an unconventional nonconformist Jesus was, at least when compared to the prevailing ideas about what was normal in the Near East in those days. (And even more so when compared to the prevailing ideas about what is normal in the West in these days.) Not to compare myself to Jesus, because that would be, well… not much of a comparison at all, like dividing the ratio of penguins to jazz by the square root of pink; it just doesn’t compute, but seeing how misunderstood (and even hated) Jesus was by the religious people who you would think would be in his corner gives me a little hope that just maybe I’m on the right path at least part of the time. Because one guaranteed way to be misunderstood by both religious and irreligious people alike is to forsake “normal” life for a life of radical faith and obedience to Christ. And that is the life I desperately want to live.
So next time you see me after I’ve done something stupid, or when I’m in the process doing something stupid, or when I’m about to do something stupid, or when I’m thinking about doing something stupid…so pretty much just whenever you see me next…I give you permission to question me about it. Chances are, I may have done/be in the process of doing/be about to do/be thinking about doing something completely idiotic that every single person on the planet could look at and think, “What an idiot! What’s he thinking!?!” But maybe, just maybe, I’ll be following Jesus.
But most of the time when somebody has asked me that question, it hasn’t been pre-decision as a way of guiding me to find my answer from the all-knowing God of the universe. It has been post-decision as a way of saying, “What they heck are you thinking?” Have you ever had that happen?
Now, granted, the question itself isn’t unreasonable, especially when it’s asked to someone who generally desires to follow Jesus. But most of the time when I’m asked that question, especially post-decision, it’s not really a question at all; it’s a statement of disapproval. It’s a roundabout way of saying, “I wouldn’t have done it that way. I don’t approve. And I think you’re an idiot.” But when it’s couched in that oh-so-spiritual-sounding phrase, the implication is, “There is NO WAY you’ve actually prayed about this because I really don’t believe God would lead you in that direction. I haven’t actually prayed about it myself, but we’re talking about you here.”
Those of you who know me well know that I tend to be a little… unconventional sometimes. I’m not much for conformity and I really don’t care too much if people think I’ve lost my mind, so I’ve heard THE QUESTION and others like it more than a few times from semi-well-intentioned people. What I’m learning more and more all the time, though, is how much of an unconventional nonconformist Jesus was, at least when compared to the prevailing ideas about what was normal in the Near East in those days. (And even more so when compared to the prevailing ideas about what is normal in the West in these days.) Not to compare myself to Jesus, because that would be, well… not much of a comparison at all, like dividing the ratio of penguins to jazz by the square root of pink; it just doesn’t compute, but seeing how misunderstood (and even hated) Jesus was by the religious people who you would think would be in his corner gives me a little hope that just maybe I’m on the right path at least part of the time. Because one guaranteed way to be misunderstood by both religious and irreligious people alike is to forsake “normal” life for a life of radical faith and obedience to Christ. And that is the life I desperately want to live.
So next time you see me after I’ve done something stupid, or when I’m in the process doing something stupid, or when I’m about to do something stupid, or when I’m thinking about doing something stupid…so pretty much just whenever you see me next…I give you permission to question me about it. Chances are, I may have done/be in the process of doing/be about to do/be thinking about doing something completely idiotic that every single person on the planet could look at and think, “What an idiot! What’s he thinking!?!” But maybe, just maybe, I’ll be following Jesus.
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