Ministry By Meandering

April 7, 2012 Leave a comment

I try to schedule my day and plan ahead, but I’ve also found that God’s agenda for me is frequently different from mine. Take yesterday as an example.

In the morning I went to the hospital and prayed with a woman from our church before she went to surgery. I figured on seeing her husband as well, and I did, but I also met her children and step-children who were also there. We waited for a good twenty minutes before we were invited back to the prep area so I had a good chance to talk with the family that I don’t believe have a church connection.

Later that morning I was at our local library and ran into a man who’s working full time but also getting a Bible degree at a local college. We had a chance to talk for a few minutes.

After lunch I had planned to visit a lady in rehab but felt prompted to visit another man in our church instead who’s dealing with a major health issue. I stopped by his house and he wasn’t home, but he drove up just when I was about to leave. When I was leaving his wife pulled up and I helped carry some groceries into the house, something he couldn’t do.

My next stop was Starbucks (you have to deal with the necessities of life). I was doing some e-mailing on my laptop when a man I know came in to get a coffee. He has a PhD, is a professor at the University of Toledo, just got a Masters in Theology, and is also a part-time associate pastor at a local church. He was glad to see me and wanted to get my opinion on his future plans with which he’s grappling. I felt honored that he wanted my input.

Later that evening my wife and I helped out at our church’s fish fry and I met a man I had worked with in a ministry situation 30 years ago. After the fish fry Diann and I went to an “open mic” night at a storefront church where I heard a guy deliver the good news of Jesus in rap. I don’t normally like rap but, Wow, he was good!

I’ve decided that discerning God’s will on a day-to-day basis is not something you can always plan out ahead of time. Sometimes we discover God’s will by wandering around, allowing for the serendipitous Spirit to lead.  It’s interesting that when people build a water drainage ditch they make it straight.  When God makes one He makes a winding river.

I’m trying to appreciate the fact that being a pastor allows me to wander about as I see fit, trying to be led by the Lord. I’m guessing that pastors of very large churches spend more of their days in their offices and at one meeting after another (I have enough of those in the evenings, but that’s another story). I’m grateful I can flit about a bit. More and more I’m trying to pray,

“Lord, where would you have me go today,
what would you have me do,
and what would you have me say?
Help me to be led of you.
This is what I pray.”

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Defining Our Calling

April 3, 2012 4 Comments

Henry Drummond wrote, “The end of life is to do God’s will. . . . That is the object of your life and mine – to do God’s will. It is not to be happy or to be successful, or famous, or to do the best we can. . . . It is something far higher than this – to do God’s will.”

Most of us won’t be called to live in a way that’s larger than life, in exciting places, doing exciting things. Drummond wrote, “We are neither intended to be apostles nor missionaries nor martyrs, but to be common people living in common houses, spending the day in common offices or common kitchens, yet doing the will of God there, we shall do as much as apostle or missionary or martyr – seeing that they can do no more than do God’s will where they are, even as we can do as much where we are – and answer the end of our life as truly, faithfully and triumphantly as they.”

He went on to say that a healthy Christian life “is not defined by how happy we are, by how prosperous or healthy we are, or even by how many people we have led to the Lord in the last year. Christian health is ultimately defined by how sincerely we wave our flag of surrender, how earnestly we want to do and be exactly what God wants us to do and be.” (quoted in Thirsting for God, Bary Thomas, ebook – loc – 1748 & following, by Gary Thomas)

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Let’s Talk!

March 28, 2012 1 Comment

I read a promotion for an author’s material in which he said, “After 25 years in ministry, traveling to 32 countries, and preaching to folks in every conceivable setting and denomination…” He then proceeded to give some advice to preachers and a way to get some materials of his, some of which, to his credit, were free.

More book jacket info about the author than I can count touts how he/she has sold so many thousands of books. Other book jackets tell of how large a weekend attendance at worship the author has as a pastor.

I’m wondering what any of this has to do with giving credibility to what the author has to say. Do the number of miles traveled, the volume of books sold, or the size of an audience expand our understanding or deepen our faith? It’s possible, but it’s also possible that staying in one place, writing to one person at a time in an e-mail or letter, and sharing in a small group could expand our understanding and deepen our faith.

So what about the author of this blog, A Pastor’s Heart? You’re probably asking yourself, Who is this guy, Dave Claassen? I suspect you’ll Google my name. I’ll save you some time and tell you that I don’t get invited to travel great distances to speak. I’ve done some writing but I don’t have a best-selling book. I speak every weekend in my church but it’s not to thousands of people.

What credentials do I have for writing a blog called A Pastor’s Heart? My credentials are my calling to be a pastor and for having been given a heart for pastoring a flock of his people. My goal in this blog is not to impart some great wisdom and insight but to share the journey I’ve been on as a pastor in the one church I’ve served for 36 years. In other words, I’ll be sharing something of my spiritual pilgrimage.

If you’re a pastor then you have been given a heart for pastoring and you have the credentials to contribute to the dialogue in this gathering place I’ve named A Pastor’s Heart. I hope we hear from Rev. I. M. Average who’s serving The Third Church of Ordinary located in Timbuktu. I hope we hear from you too!

What’s on your heart and mind? Join the conversation!

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Our Heart Needs Work

March 26, 2012 Leave a comment

Gary Thomas, in his book Thirsting for God (eBook, loc 2879), quotes Brother Giles.

“If a man were to live a thousand years and not have anything to do outside himself, he would have enough to do within, in his own heart, nor would he be able to bring the work to perfect completion – he would have so much to do only within, in his own heart!”

Cited in Brother Ugolino di Santa Maria, The Little Flowers of Saint Francis, trans. By Raphael Brown (New York: Image Books, 1958), p. 283

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Welcome

March 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Welcome to the launching of this blog, A Pastor’s Heart. This is to be a meeting place, a community of men and women who share a common calling, passion, joy, and, yes, sometimes, burden – that of pastor.

Much is written about churches and pastors but little about the pastor’s heart. Yet, this part of the pastoral anatomy is of utmost interest to the One whom we serve. We are reminded that “the Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,” (1 Samuel 16:7) and that “He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” (2 Corinthians 4:5) With His help and the help of each other we can begin now this process of bringing to light what is hidden in darkness and the exposing of motives.

This blog is to be a gathering place of hearts. It is a place to share honestly and openly. Because this gathering place is on the web the door is always open for anyone to eavesdrop, perhaps someone from your congregation! To encourage honesty and openness we must allow for anonymous participation. It is not important for us to share our names, just our hearts.

So, welcome! To get the conversation started why not reply by sharing a heart condition you’re dealing with in your ministry. Let’s help each other get a heart check-up!

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