It’s official. I am no blogger. How have I come to realize this fact?
Simple.
Bloggers blog, consistently!
I am also learning that I am not a writer. How have I come to realize this fact?
Writers write, consistently!
I don’t consistently blog or write.
Don’t get me wrong: I love blogging, and I love writing.
Avocation or Vocation?
But I am discovering that blogging is more of an avocation (hobby or activity beyond my regular responsibilities, work, and service) than a vocation (my daily responsibilities, work, and service).
In terms of vocation – the thing I spend most of my time doing – I am a pastor of Pillar Community Church in Vero Beach, Fl.
I love, truly love, pastoring.
I awake excited most mornings about the opportunities I will have to provide pastoral leadership. I often anticipate the pastoral care I will provide to those who are in my congregation as well as the broader community where I live.
It is hard work, at times. I face many challenges that I am not capable of meeting. People look to me or come to me for wisdom I don’t naturally have. At times, I am asked to provide answers that I am not sure will work or even how they will be interpreted and lived out in the real world.
There are other moments when I am hit by resistance from our people. Opposition to the ministry we are providing and mission from which we operate. Resistance comes fast and hard and often catches me off guard.
Yet I love shepherding and am thankful for and humbled by the congregation God calls me to serve.
An Exciting and Energizing Season of Ministry
The reason I haven’t blogged in a while is that the demands of the ministry have been significant these past few months.
They have also been highly energizing and exciting.
Significant because of the direction and vision God is providing. Energizing and exciting because of the joy and challenge He is stirring within us.
This ministry, it seems, is taking a turn.
A good turn.
A beautiful turn.
A missional turn that we’ve been seeking to take for some time.
For the first time in years, I sense that our congregation feels like we are going somewhere together. With this feeling (we call it “weness”) comes a particular type of excitement and energy. It is the kind of energy that carries you along with it.
When a Journey Becomes a Destination
The somewhere we are going is essential. The destination is what we call the With-God-Life. What’s truly remarkable is that we are implementing opportunities and practices for every age level represented in our church. Yes, we are all going toward this With-God-Life together.
The emphasis for the ministry theme this year is “Setting Sail Together: Exploring, Experiencing, and Enjoying the With-God-Life Jesus Proclaims and makes Possible.”
While I love to write, and I love to blog, I most enjoy being a pastor.
I particularly love being a pastor at Pillar Community Church.
Combating the Unholy Trinity of Modern Evangelicalism
A church whose mission stands in stark contrast to the “be-better, try-harder, do-more” version of Christianity American churches love to embrace.
A church whose mission seeks to awaken us to the presence of Christ within and among us and then provide tools that enable us to respond to the invitation and calling Christ speaks in our midst!
A church that is becoming more attentive to the Father, filled by the Son, and empowered by the Spirit that is on an evangelistic mission of sharing this Goodnews Gospel of the With-God-Life to all who will hear!
Put simply: it’s the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed and make possible!
I am no blogger.
I am no writer.
I am a pastor — one who also loves to write and to blog.
But I am not inclined to write and blog about just anything these days.
Pillar: A Church Where the Gospel is Still the Good News!
Instead, I am going to write and blog about the message and mission of Pillar and how it’s captivated my heart and compelling me to spread the word far and wide.
If you want a first-hand experience, then join us on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. We are currently gathering in the cafeteria of Vero Beach Elementary School on the corner of 12th street and 20th avenue.
If you want to know more about this Good News, but are reluctant to show up on a Sunday, then shoot me an email or respond in the comment section.
Disrupting to Renew!
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