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What I Do

Today is Career Day at my Daughter katie's School. She's excited that dear ol' Dad is coming to talk to her kindergartgen class about what he does. Whether she will still be excited about Dad's job after class remains to be seen.OK, sure, it's easy enough to get them to relate to what goes on on Sunday morning; most of them see their own ministers every week. It's a little stickier to talk about what I do the other four to five days that I am also working. "I read a lot, kids. Boy do I ever read alot. Then I write about what I have read. I don't know, but I suspect that some people even read what I write- though I can't be sure......"
"The rest of the time, I call people on the phone, visit them at their home or in the hospital, and I try to make sure that the work of the church is being done. Now: Who wants to be a minister?"
Kids: (Crickets.)
"Who wants to listen to Billy's Daddy? He's a Policeman!"
Kids: Yay!
To be honest, my difficulty in explaining what I do, and why I do it isn't limited to children. There are many people who think of people who specialize in the clergy as a dying breed. Many churches now hire people from within, meaning that they think that someone who attends the church and graduated from CLASS 401 is now suited to the pulpit. I'll admit, I have difficulty telling these people why I have taken the steps I have to enter into full time minsitry. I can't tell them excactly why I thought that a Bachelor's Degree, a Master's Degree, and now a nearly-completed Doctorate of Ministry Degree were necessary. I did, and still do. The spiritual, mental, and theological formation I went through to get to ministry were entirely worth it; they make me more relatable to people, not less. Certainly I can see more of God's hand in history, sweeping not only his church but the world as the times have changed. It's the knowledge of how these things have happened that anchors me, makes me more confident in my church and my ministry. My continued formation, and specialization in ministry isn't limited to religious materials alone. A holistic approach, yes, engineered through my education but built upon as the years have gone by has enabled me to love my ministry, even when I don't necessarily feel loved for doing what I do. Sometimes, I really do get a sense of what Paul talked about, when he spoke of "the peace that passes all understanding." It may not be readily explicable; but I am at peace with that.
-Mike