no, but i'm here

A woman came to the door of the church today and rang the doorbell. When I answered the door, she asked if there were any pastors available. I sort of smiled knowing our senior pastor was headed out of town, the youth guy was away doing an internship miles from there and even our small group coordinator was leaving on a trip. So, that kind of leaves me...but I'm not really a pastor. So, I said, "Well, no we don't have a pastor here right now, but I'm here. Can I help you with something?"

For that moment I longed to be able to say, "Well, I'm one." But, I can't. And, there is so much tied up in that little word. So much theology. So many stereotypes. So many opinions and ideas. So much so that I often choose to dismiss its importance. Usually I don't much care what they call me, just let me keep doing what I love...until that moment that it mattered. In that moment my response seemed to be missing the same credibility that would be lacking if they asked for a doctor on a plane, and a someone else stood up and said, "No, but I'm here."

And, honestly, I still don't much care...until another moment comes and a woman stands in front of me and says "Are there any pastors available?" And, I have to say, "No, but I'm here..."

one of today's smiles

lemonade $0.25

monday's meeting

"I'm a recovering worshiper." - Griff

a new road...

"sometimes to get anywhere you just gotta take a leap. either to land where you were looking or just to get to some new road." - mike

words from wonder at willow

"My task as an artist is to say clearly what others have always felt vaguely." - Ian Morgan Cron

"I want to be among the easily impressed." - Stan Endicott

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference." - Elie Wiesel

"Ministry is not about job security; it's about making the invisible visible." - Phil Vischer

"We're a small church of 1000 members." - woman in a session

"Baby, you're more than this!" - Darlene Zschech

"All art is speaking in tongues." - ? (Ian Morgan Cron repeated it, but I missed the reference. sorry!)

"Everything we need is already here." - Ian Morgan Cron

"The universe is crammed with God." - Elisabeth Barrett Browning

"I didn't know when I became a Christian if all my artistic juices could be used in the church." - Ephram Smith

"Your brokenness is your very best intersection with Jesus." - Nancy Ortberg

"God's so big and the song is so small." - Josh Wilson

"We're in the life transformation business." - Nancy Beach

"We are arrested by God's presence." - Ian Morgan Cron

"The broken will become the beloved." - Ephram Smith

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." - Julian Norwich

favorite thing number twenty-three

perhaps one of the most beautiful things i have seen in a while is also one of my favorites.

a repentant sinner/saint with posture, facial expression and word humbly coming before the Triune God.