discharge all the duties
I was so encouraged by a verse in II Timothy 4:5: "Discharge all the duties of your ministry."
I'm a people-pleaser by personality. I want to be all things to all people. And when NCC was smaller I could do that. But I've really been wrestling lately. I have a hard time saying "no" to anyone or anything. But I've felt like I've been stretched so thin lately. In fact, if I had to describe my life the last few months it'd probably be: so many ideas so little time!
About a month ago I decided to make a shift in the way I work. When I come back from my "summer sabbatical," Tim Elzea will join our staff as my personal assistant. I need help :) I need someone to relieve some of the pressure (albeit good pressure) I'm feeling day in and day out.
One of the challenges at this juncture in ministry is that I can't have my hand in everything. I want to. And it's a tough transition when you used to do everything because there wasn't anybody else to do anything. But I think our staff could potentially double in the next two years. When life is changing exponentially and you try to change incrementally, there is a growing gap between what you want to do and what you can do that causes tremendous tension. All of that to say this. I felt a little guilty about not being available for everybody. But I've had to come to the philosophical and theological conviction that I'm not even called to be all things to all people. I'm called to "discharge all the duties."
Andy Stanely said something a year ago at the Catalyst conference that stuck with me. He said, "Everybody needs to know Jesus. Not everybody needs to know Andy Stanley." We have an amazing staff! And I'm realizing more and more that I need to just discharge duties because they can do what they do better than I can do what they do. Ultimately, all of us are pointing people to Jesus.
I really feel like God used that verse--"discharge all the duties of your ministry"--to affirm the direction we're headed. What a temendous encouragement.
By the way, isn't that what Jesus did? He discharged the duties to twelve disciples!
I'm a people-pleaser by personality. I want to be all things to all people. And when NCC was smaller I could do that. But I've really been wrestling lately. I have a hard time saying "no" to anyone or anything. But I've felt like I've been stretched so thin lately. In fact, if I had to describe my life the last few months it'd probably be: so many ideas so little time!
About a month ago I decided to make a shift in the way I work. When I come back from my "summer sabbatical," Tim Elzea will join our staff as my personal assistant. I need help :) I need someone to relieve some of the pressure (albeit good pressure) I'm feeling day in and day out.
One of the challenges at this juncture in ministry is that I can't have my hand in everything. I want to. And it's a tough transition when you used to do everything because there wasn't anybody else to do anything. But I think our staff could potentially double in the next two years. When life is changing exponentially and you try to change incrementally, there is a growing gap between what you want to do and what you can do that causes tremendous tension. All of that to say this. I felt a little guilty about not being available for everybody. But I've had to come to the philosophical and theological conviction that I'm not even called to be all things to all people. I'm called to "discharge all the duties."
Andy Stanely said something a year ago at the Catalyst conference that stuck with me. He said, "Everybody needs to know Jesus. Not everybody needs to know Andy Stanley." We have an amazing staff! And I'm realizing more and more that I need to just discharge duties because they can do what they do better than I can do what they do. Ultimately, all of us are pointing people to Jesus.
I really feel like God used that verse--"discharge all the duties of your ministry"--to affirm the direction we're headed. What a temendous encouragement.
By the way, isn't that what Jesus did? He discharged the duties to twelve disciples!
1 Comments:
Dude, yo, that's buzzing mad off the hook. (Just checking the street credibility)
No conflict, no friction, just BUZZ...in it's purest form.
BUZZ...the vehicle that's used to POINT HIM OUT and LIFT HIM UP.
Don't be mistaken, it's the BUZZ that introduces everybody to the power of HIS draw.
Luis
PA
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