Black Monday

I'm finding out about a phenomenon I've heard about for years, but have never really experienced. Preachers call it "Black Monday", and I can already tell I'm going to have to fight it. It refers to the depression and let down associated with preaching in front of people on Sunday and feeling the "rush" of a week of activity that culminates on Sunday, ends on Sunday night and zaps the life right out of you. I remember having the same feeling when I played football and we'd end the week with a game. The next day was always kind of blah, and I never thought much about it as a young man. As a man in his thirties, I'm starting to think about it.

In an article called "Birthing a Sermon", John Ortberg suggests that sermon preparation and delivery is like giving birth. Although this metaphor is very extreme (it's actually ridiculous, but I still like his point, so don't email me barking about this metaphor), it describes well the kinds of feelings involved in planning and executing a sermon. In the article Ortberg writes, "Sermon preparation is a complex process. When I think about constructing a message, I use the metaphor of having a baby, because I believe the stages are quite similar. There's the initial conception, which is often quite a lot of fun. Then there is gestation, which is increasingly difficult. Next, there's the delivery, which can be a combination of euphoria and intense pain. And finally, there are some post-delivery details." What Ortberg fails to point out is the post-partum depression associated with sermon preparation and delivery.

Today has been a difficult day.  I had trouble waking up and have felt somewhat funky all day.  Thoughts are hard to hold captive, and my energy level is very low.  In the back of my mind I've experienced feelings of dread and despair.  All I can chalk it up to is that there was a lot of build up and excitement for me on Sunday, and when it's all over it's kind of anti-climactic.  

Just thought I'd give you some insight into the mind of a pastor.  I'm better now, but there is some residual lull plaguing me still.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Back in the Saddle

It's been a crazy month, and I've been less than diligent in blogging on a regular basis. Sorry about that (on the off chance that anyone out there really cares!). Here's the latest:

• I'm doing a series on the Gospel of John at my new church.  It's been pretty cool, but I have a feeling we'll be looking at John for a long time.  It's been four weeks and we're still not out of chapter 1!  The most striking thing about John so far is the humility of this loving apostle.  Instead of claiming any authority or power for himself, his life is totally and completely dedicated to pointing others to Christ.  I love it when he says of Jesus, "He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. (John 1:27)"  Talk about a guy who knew his role and embraced it wholeheartedly!!

• We've been on a couple of cool trips this summer.  First we went to family camp at Horn Creek in Colorado.  The coolest part of that trip was our venture to Great Sand Dunes National Park.  They say certain scenes from Star Wars were filmed there.  I kept hoping to see a Jawa, but lucky for my droids there were none to be found.

• Our second trip was to Navarre Beach in Florida, and it was good as well.  The highlight of this trip was our stop in Baton Rouge on the way back.  Mike the Tiger was active and ready to pounce (no doubt on a Georgia Bulldog or an Ole Miss Rebel!).  The kids enjoyed it, and it was my wife's first time to see the new habitat built especially for LSU's famed mascot.  Oh yeah, and the beach was cool too!
  

• We're finishing off the vacation season with some time at our family ranch in DeRidder, LA.  This is the place where I grew up swimming in mud holes and shooting snakes with bb guns.  It's not the prettiest place in the world, but it's home.  Ahhhh nostalgia!
  

• I'm finishing up a project for Blue Fish TV that should go to press soon.  It's a study guide for an upcoming video series on Erwin McManus' book, Uprising.  Bet my high school English teacher never thought I'd be published!  Take that Mrs. Z!!

• Looking forward to being back in Corsicana this week.  VBS will be in full swing, and I'm hoping to finally settle in to life as a sr. pastor.  The honeymoon will be over soon, but I'm hopeful and excited about the future.  

I'll write again soon, and maybe next time it won't be all about me!  Probably not, but maybe.

Don't Do It!

Johnny and Chachi are back with this hilarious new video designed to help men know where to draw some crucial lines. These guys are awesome! Enjoy!!

LSU Baseball Does it Again!!

This season's LSU baseball team is amazing! They have won 24 of their last 25 games, and they broke out the big bats tonight by hammering the University of California Irvine 21-7. With the win, LSU advanced to the College World Series. The Tigers led from start to finish, and proved to be too much for the UCI pitchers.

I used to love watching LSU baseball in the 90's. It was during this decade that the Tigers won 5 National titles in 10 years. This year's team looks like it could make a run for the title, and it's just so good to see the Tigers advance to the College World Series once again. Who knows, maybe we'll have another Warren Morris moment! If you don't know what that is, watch and enjoy. This was probably the greatest moment in LSU baseball history.

Moving, Driving and Spinning

Moving is horrible. As I write this I am surrounded by boxes and clutter. Each box signifies disorder, and although I'm ok with the occasional lack of order, it's a different story when the only thing that characterizes your life is mass chaos.

Add to that the fact that I'm driving to and from my new home, Corsicana, TX, about three days a week. I love to drive, but with gas prices soaring to ridiculous new heights, it's not as fun as it used to be.

In short, my life is spinning like a race car tire, and I'm having trouble sleeping. Crazy thing is, I'm doing really well! I love my new church, and feel energized by thoughts of the future. It seems, for me, that I'm at my best when things are spinning out of control. It's when things become boring that I stumble around, like a kid stepping off a merry-go-round, dizzy from the furious wave of activity.

We'll be in our new house this Thursday, June 12. I've already preached my first two sermons at my new church, and things are going swimmingly. In all, things are going very well, and the Lord is giving me the strength to maintain a pretty high level even through all the changes. I'm just hoping and praying that I won't crash and burn when the dust settles a bit.

I'm going to bed now so that I can continue to fidget like a kid in church until I finally nod off at about 5am. Good times, man... Good times.

I'm a Senior Pastor Now!!

I can't believe it either. Who'd have thought that I would have become a Senior Pastor? I got a call a while back from the first church to give me a full-time job, asking if I'd consider becoming the Senior Pastor. I worked there for 4 years as the Youth/Worship Pastor, and loved every minute of it. It was the perfect place for me, and it gave me confidence in my calling. Words can't express how happy I am to return to Grace Community Church in Corsicana, TX (Check out the sweet football facilities for Corsicana High School!!). Thanks for giving me another chance!!

It's bitter sweet to leave Irving Bible Church, which is the best thing I've ever had the chance to be a part of. IBC is unique and wonderful, and it's tough to say goodbye. Ultimately, though, IBC prepared me for this chance to take what I've learned and use it to impact my new community. I'll always be an IBC'er!!

Pray for me in my new role. I'll keep you posted on how it's going. If I don't blog for a while, it's because I'm kind of busy these days. Just keep checking in and I'll get around to it soon enough!!

Expelled Review (as promised)

Well, I saw Expelled, and I'm going to try to briefly describe my thoughts on the film. First off, I can say that this movie, contrary to the views of atheist and molecular biologist Richard Dawkins, was very well made. It had all the herky-jerky filming that we're used to seeing in a documentary, but there were also some scenes that were marvelously photographed and the movie, on the whole, was slickly produced.

The movie was also quite effective in demonstrating some of the weaknesses of Darwinian theory, and it made establishment scientists such as Richard Dawkins and PZ Meyers look condescending, and often times foolish. These folks had a particularly difficult time finding plausible answers to the question of how life begins. Their stammers and far-fetched explanations were somewhat alarming (Dawkins posits at one point in the film that the first cells were "seeded" on earth by some sort of alien force. Sounds a lot like Intelligent Design!).

There were two areas, however, where the film fell short (in my opinion). One was that the producers failed to give a clear understanding of Intelligent Design, and why it should be considered. They did a great job of showing the problems of Darwinism, but they didn't give a clear solution for those problems. They merely stated that other options should be considered. Who knows, that may have been their point, but I would have loved to have heard more about how Intelligent Design helps fill in Darwinisms gaps.

The second area of concern I had was with the turn in the second half of the film that sought to show the link between Darwinism and Nazi Germany. There is no doubt that Hitler and his minions were heavily influenced by Darwinian thought. There is also no doubt that Darwinian thought naturally lends itself to certain atrocities. After all, when your theory is based upon the survival of the fittest, it stands to reason that the least fit in society will be marginalized. If you're at the bottom of the food chain, you will be eaten.

There is a problem, however, with linking the brilliant scientists of the day with Nazi Germany just because they believe in Darwin's theories. The film was too heavy-handed in its approach to this issue, and it only served to close any doors to dialogue that may or may not have been opened as a result of the legitimate information the film highlighted.

In all, the film was good, but it had its shortcomings. It's still worth seeing, and my hope is that some eyes will be opened by its claims.

Everybody Loves Juno... except me

For months now all I've heard, when asking the generic question, "Seen any good movies lately?" is "Have you seen Juno? Oh my gosh! It's so awesome. Seriously, one of the best movies I've seen in a long time." I usually just turn around quietly and wish I hadn't asked the question. I saw Juno several months ago, and I'm pretty sure I didn't like it. This may sound a bit Obama-esque, but I'm not quite sure why I didn't like it.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I could barely understand Juno, the main character, and her quirky band of whiz kid friends. I wanted to ask them, "Is there a reason you're talking like what seems like a teenager designed by a committee of adults that have researched youth by watching MTV around the clock?" The dialogue was clever... too clever. And where did all this cleverness lead us? Well, the most annoyingly intelligent teenager ever to grace the silver screen brought us the warm tale of teen pregnancy, marital strife, divorce, constant references to unborn children as "it" or "the thing", and overbearingly child-obsessed suburbanites. It doesn't get much more clever than that!!

I kept asking myself if I was supposed to be happy with the way things turned out in Juno. Everyone else I knew walked out of the film pretty excited about the way it ended. I just kept thinking, "That's it? I'm supposed to feel good about that? I'm supposed to think it's great that the girl gave up 'the thing' for adoption to the most emotionally disturbed character on the screen?" But hey, at least she didn't get the abortion!

Don't get me wrong, Juno is funny, light-hearted, and complex. Ellen Page is great as the main character, and her Father uttered one of the funniest lines I've ever heard in a movie ("I'm gonna punch that kid in the wiener the next time I see him."), but let's face it, teenagers aren't that clever. Most of them are pretty un-clever. Instead of uttering quick quip after super quick quip, most teens I know are busy exclaiming, "Dude, check out my new ringtone!"

The movie does demonstrate that there is a frightening stupidity in our society about children, what a blessing they are, and how wondrous the path to new life can be. Kids in this day are objects of consumption and convenience, and that's pretty sad.

So, I thought Juno was clever (cue annoying indie song). It was cool for shizz, but in a totally hamburger phone kind of way. In other words, it was so clever that it almost made me forget how stupid it was. I liked the movie. I found it enjoyable on the surface, but underneath it seemed shallow to me. There were a couple of times when I felt like I was watching a bad action movie or a cheesy horror film. I wanted to yell at the screen, "Oh, yeah right!! Like that would ever happen!!" Then I'd look around to see if anybody was with me, only to find that the film had found a captive audience, believing every over-intelligent smirk.

In conclusion: Teenagers aren't that smart, and they don't really talk that way! Plus, kids are good, and they aren't "things." The end.

Expelled: Darwinism Finally Questioned Publically

Kim and I are going to try to go see this Saturday night. I'll give it a critique after we see it. It's interesting to see a movie like this, and it'll be really interesting to see how the intellectual community deals with the claims of this film. People like Michael Moore and Bill Maher pride themselves on their rebellious stance on so many issues, so it's nice to see someone from a Judeo-Christian background challenging the rebels who now make for the American establishment. That's right, the Moore's and Maher's are now the establishment, and the rebels are now those who challenge secularism. Kudos to Ben Stein for bringing this issue under the light. If you disagree with him, fine... Just give him the same courtesy you expect from others, and listen to his claims. Isn't that the American way?

Here's the trailer, and it's very compelling.

Autism Poem

I haven't written a poem in a while, but I had a little time today, so I wrote one about Pierce. It was therapeutic. Some lines were totally difficult, and others were healing. Such is the layered existence of an Autism Dad. Even if you don't have an Autistic child, you can probably relate to the paradoxical lines of this poem. I hope it proves therapeutic for you too.

The Spectrum

There's a feather in your hair and a sparkle in your eye
You're living in two worlds that fall under a seamless sky
There's a song in your head and it's waiting to be heard
But you struggle for your voice, you wrestle for a word

There's a part of you that soars on clouds to worlds so far away
And a part of you that's tethered to the darkest shade of grey
You're as clear as a water color hanging on a wall
And as stable as a Summer leaf clinging in the Fall

I cannot understand you and I don't know why I try
When you're near I miss your presence, when your gone I do not cry
Your the most painful love I've ever known, the best/worst thing I have
And I love you dearly for it all, the good times and the sad

I wonder if I'll ever really know quite who you are
Like a dream remembered dimly or a far and distant star
Hidden in your face lies your personality
One of many things about you that reamain a mystery

Review: "The Culturally Savvy Christian"

Dick Staub's "The Culturally Savvy Christian: A manifesto for deepening faith and enriching popular culture in an age of Christianity-lite", is the latest in a stack of books by my bedside.  The cover got my attention because it has a picture of a man on the front, and from the urban belt buckle to the suit-coat-with -t-shirt look, this could be a picture taken on any given Sunday at my church.  The striking aspect of this photo is the picture of Jesus, slightly obscured by the cross-necklace, that is printed on the t-shirt.  Is this the culturally savvy Christian, or is this the brand of Christianity that the author is writing against (A brand that is consumer driven, spiritually shallow and entertainment crazed)?

The first chapter is full of quotes and stats that tell us how bad the culture is.  It's interesting, but you've heard it before.  Paris Hilton has no talent, Oprah is the prophet of choice and television will rot your soul.  Tell me something I don't already know, right?

But the second chapter turns the light on "pop-Christianty", and reveals that television is not the only thing that will rot the soul.  Church, with its cineplexes... uhm... I mean Megachurches, and its "anything you can do, we can do cheesier" mentality may be just as dangerous as anything pop-culture throws your way.

Here's the quote that got me:

"Others believe that our apparent success has been accomplished by conforming to American culture rather than transforming it, pointing out, as Alan Wolfe observed, that instead of theological, it is therapeutic; instead of intellectual, it is emotional and revivalist; instead of emphasizing a serving community, it is consumeristic and individualistic; instead of producing spiritual growth and depth, it is satisfied with entrepreneurialism and numeric growth.  Instead of being a moral and spiritual beacon, evangelicalism is viewed as an important political and economic niche."

Ouch!!  

The rest of the book gives some guidance as to how Christians can become "serious about faith, savvy about faith and culture, and skilled in relating the two."  The sections are divided as such, and Staub has some great things to say about what it means to go a different direction than the current trend of pop-Christianity in a world that has so many opportunities in the areas of intellectualism, art and depth.  

Staub is well-intentioned, but only time will tell if his thoughts truly shape the scene.  Evangelicals, as Staub notes, are well-intentioned and sincere in their desire to reach the culture and transform it.  Staub also has good intentions, but who's to say that his ideas won't end up becoming the next wave of pop-Christianity, or worse, cocooned Christianity.  There is a balance to the Christian life in this world, and few ever achieve it.  Those who do seem to have an intangible quality that allows them to be thought provoking, personable and street smart about the culture.  They make the Gospel look beautiful and believable, and they are rare indeed.  I'm not sure they achieve this balance by reading books... although it probably doesn't hurt.

Oh yeah, about the picture on the front cover... I think this is the person who fails to achieve the balance.  He looks kind of cool, but kind of goofy.  Jesus is great, but he should never be charicatured on a t-shirt.  And the gold chain with the cross is a bad look.  I bet this guy has a gotee!

Anybody Listening?

"Nobody ever listens to my pages!" said the girl at the Barnes & Noble checkout counter nearly five minutes after she called over the speaker system for a manager to help her figure out the glitch that was preventing her from processing my payment. She was obviously irritated, but continued to smile in a self depricating manner, as if to say "Oh well! What are you gonna do?!"

I could feel her pain. There are times when I feel like nobody ever listens to my pages either, and there's nothing more frustrating than being pushed to the back burner, or - even worse - never making it to the stove. Most of us are in need of some type of attention... Any attention! Like an American Idol contestant standing insecurely before the judges, we desperately long for positive feedback, or at least contructive criticism.

So what do we do when there's nothing? What happens when we've sung our song, poured our heart and soul into every detail of it, and there is no applause, no Randy/Paula/Simon praise or criticism? What then?

Perhaps we do as the girl at Barnes & Noble did. Maybe we lament the fact that nobody's coming to bail us out, but we don't let it ruin our day. Could it be that we sing the song not for the audience applause, but for the art and the beauty of the thing?

I read a portion of a book today that asked the question, "What if you had just thirty days to live?" Great question. Would we spend our time nervously waiting on the audience's response, or would we re-imagine what matters and fight like hell to sing the song we're supposed to be singing? Howard Thurman said it best with these words: "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

The next time no one's listening, ask yourself if you're doing what makes you come alive. If you are, it doesn't matter who's listening, you will be heard. If you're not, find a song you love, and sing it like nobody's business!!

I Could be in This Club!

Check out this really fun and cool way of supporting the idea that less stuff in our world opens up more opportunities to serve others. This makes me proud to own a 1996 Toyota Avalon with 296,000 miles! Sucker runs like a top!!

Caedmon's Call at The Door

Went to the Caedmon's Call show last night at The Door in Dallas. It was great. Here are a couple of observations:

1) Derek Webb was with the band again, and he was wearing a white t-shirt. I picture him opening his closet and grabbing one of the 50 identical white t-shirts he has hanging neatly in a row. Good to know that going solo hasn't affected his sense of style.

2) Todd Bragg has an awesome beard. Nothing else to say about it. That beard is phenomenal.

3) Andrew Osenga stole the show. The solo at the end of "Hold the Light" was wonderful. He is unique and original, and he doesn't even try to be. It's just who he is.

4) The Door is now in the old Gypsy Tea Room building, and there were a lot of wild bands who played that joint over the years. The Backstage "green room" was loaded with interesting wall art. There was a picture of a Unicorn - the most mystical and sacred of all mythical creatures - that was quite disturbing. No one should do such things to Unicorn's. Here is the only part of the picture I can show you that will leave this poor creature with some dignity.



5) The show was impressive, and it was good to see the band back together. CC is a great group of people, and I love watching them play live. I was asking my wife the other day if we liked them because we know them or if we'd love their stuff even if we didn't know them. We both concluded that we'd dig them even if we didn't know them. You should probably buy their stuff.

The Beef Eclipses 200 Posts!!

This is post #201 in the illustrious life of Cajun Roast Beef!! "Who cares?", you may ask, and the answer is probably "very few people, and none of them really matter." So, here's to all you people who don't matter. The Beef is here for you, bro. Now go try to do something cool and fail miserably!

To commemorate this awesome event, here's something I think is funny!

Thoughts from a Christian Zombie

Spent the morning at Barnes and Noble after dropping Pierce off at therapy. Looked around the Christianity section for a while, aimlessly wandering the aisles for something that might waken me from my zombie-like trance. Max Lucado... yawn... Chuck Colson... sigh... Latest hip pastor with a gotee... snooze... New book by George Barna... Hmmmmm... "Pagan Christianity"? Must look at book... May find interesting stuff... Feeling blood flow again...

So, I open this book and find a very interesting thesis:

"Have you ever wondered why we Christians do what we do for church every Sunday morning? Why do we "dress up" for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week? Why do we have pews, steeples, choirs, and seminaries? This volume reveals the startling truth: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is not rooted in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Coauthors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence in the first-ever book to document the full story of modern Christian church practices." - taken from the "publishers description"

Only got about 30 pages in before I had to go, and I didn't have any money to buy the book. First reaction: Duh! Of course the church today doesn't look anything like the church of the New Testament. That's probably a bi-product of the fact that 2000 years has gone by since the inception of the church. Anyone who is naive enough to think that what we do on Sunday's is anywhere close to what was going on in the New Testament is fooling themselves. So what if we aren't "doing church" like they did it in ancient times? As long as we're focusing on the glory of God and the magnification of Christ, I'm not sure methods matter much.

Second reaction: Wow, we really have made up some crazy stuff. Not sure Jesus would like us too much.

Final reaction: OK, so now what? Say we're doing it all wrong... what do we do about it now? Do we just blow the whole thing up? And if we do, how can we be certain that what is put in its place will be any more true to the ancient church than what we've done so far?

Not sure where I'm going here, but you might want to check out the book. It raises some interesting questions, but it kind of smacks of the same kinds of ultra-literalism of the fringe elements of religion.

At least that's the opinion of this Zombie..

Cajun Roast Beef: The Origin

When I started this thing a while back, I had a primary task: find a good name. So, I thought and I thought... What would be a cool name that would be fun and a bit mysterious? What would reflect my heritage, while at the same time demonstrate some level of intrigue? After minutes of thought, I finally settled on "Cajun Roast Beef".

Today I went to the place that inspired the name of this goofy little experiment. We are in Lake Charles, LA (my home town) for spring break, and we just had to head over to Kirkman St. to Pronias Deli for the famous Cajun Roast Beef sandwich. I took a picture of the deli and the sandwich for your viewing pleasure. Any place that's advertising "Homemade Family Size Gumbo" has got to be good! Enjoy!!

A Violently Original Quote

I have a new favorite quote. Not sure why something someone else had to say or write ignites such intense thoughts and emotions, but this something someone else had to say or write certainly stirred my innards into a frenzy. Here goes:

“Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work.”
- Gustave Flaubert

I hadn't heard of Gustave Flaubert before, so I did a little research and found his story to be sad and interesting. Flaubert was a French writer who is widely recognized as one of the greatest Western novelists of all time. He lived a very lonely life, and threw himself relentlessly into his work. A true perfectionist, Flaubert would close himself off from the world and write for weeks and months at a time, sometimes spending an entire week on one sentence or passage. His obsession with writing came from his constant quest to find "le mot juste" ("the precise word").

I am not Gustave Flaubert. I lack focus and find it very difficult to limit distractions. There are a million "violent and original" thoughts in my head, but my life is not "regular and orderly" enough to bring to fruition my creative punch. I often feel guilty about all the things I fail to accomplish because of my inability to impliment ideas into action. It is a paralyzing affliction.

What I find interesting is that Gustave Flaubert was not me either. Flaubert was very lonely, and only had one romantic relationship in his life. Ironically, this relationship was an affair with poet Louise Colet, and it was more tortured than fulfilling. Flaubert was also plagued by venerial diseases, mainly due to his relations with prostitutes. He was financially destitute and lived through hardship after hardship. His greatest struggle, however, was his inability to achieve perfection. He often complained to friends about the strenuous nature of his work, and told of his insecurities related to his lack of true understanding of literary form and structure. He died of a stroke in 1880, alone and broke.

Funny thing is that to this day, Flaubert is used as a model of literary form and style. He is studied by writers throughout the world, and is thought to be near perfect in his exactitude and stylistic precision. Unfortunately, I suspect, none of that mattered when he lay dying and alone.

So here we are, Flaubert and I, both longing for that which we seem unable to obtain, and struggling with insecurities from opposite ends of the spectrum. Regardless of how we get there, the key is that the "violent" and the "original" be unleashed. These are reflected in the epic stories of belief, and they are vividly interwoven into God's story about Himself. Samson's story is so violently original that it hurts, but it is God who weaves these qualities together to bring about His glory in their fulfilment. David's story is a creative masterpiece, although it is not David who achieves stylistic perfection, but God who tells us what it means to follow after His own heart. David is the Flaubert of the story, and God is the one who pieces it together in such a way that we are still studying this masterful model of form and style.

Ultimately we find that regardless of which end of the spectrum we may find ourselves, our stories fail to achieve the perfection that we hope for. What makes our stories "violent and original" masterpieces is the author, not the characters flaws or strengths. In His hands, "le mot juste" is achieved. The perfect work is not negated or fulfilled by my lack of order, or Flaubert's mastery of it; it is achieved when God's pen perfects our faith. And if we have no faith, God's pen finds glory in that as well.

May your "regular and orderly" life be filled with "violent and original" moments.

New Site Alert!! Go Check it out!!!

Check out this pleasantly deep site from musician Andrew Petersen and some of his counterparts. It's called "The Rabbit Room", and it's very cool. Buy some music while you're there.

The High Price of Greatness

I come from a family of ministers. My Father was a pediatrician who spent every spare moment working to give good health care to the needy by opening a Well Baby Clinic in the middle of the most poor neighborhood in the Southwest Louisiana town of Lake Charles. My Mother was a high school guidance counselor who worked tirelessly to help kids make it to college, and she also opened up her home to troubled kids when they needed a place to stay. My big brother is a pastor at a church in the Atlanta suburbs, and is undergoing some pretty heavy criticism for trying to establish a Hispanic ministry at his mostly white church. My big sister is a podiatry resident in Pennsylvania, and she's probably got the biggest heart of anyone I know. So, while us Hayes' have our fair share of dysfunction, we hail, nonetheless, from a rare line of walking wounded who call themselves "ministers".

I bring this up not to toot our respective horns (if you knew my brother, you'd know that he can toot with the best of them!), but to share a truth about ministers and ministry of which many may not be aware. "Minister" is the Latin word for "doer of little deeds", as opposed to a "magistrate", who is a "doer of great deeds." This stands in stark contrast to the idea of ministry as it has come to be understood in recent times. Many look at the minister as someone who is God-like in both thought and deed. Ministers are thought to be "perfect" or at the very least they are considered "better" than most ordinary folk. They are the keepers of the great truths of God, and are shining examples of holiness.

What we see in the Latin, however, is a dramatically different inference. Here we see that ministers are servants, humble and lowly. Ministers are more likely to find the short end of the stick than the pot of gold. Ministry, in this light, is characterized not by the high offices of church or state, but by the lower, more hands-dirty types of tasks. As such, ministry is humiliating.

The reason I'm writing this today is because my sister and I were lamenting my brother's recent troubles as a pastor, and she shared with me my brother's insight into the whole matter. "Anyone who has ever become great has gone through the harsh fire of criticism." was my brother's wisdom on the subject. Spoken like a true minister. Helen Keller, no stranger to hardship and ridicule, had this to say about becoming great, "I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker." In other words, God honors and uses the humble, however humble they may be.

Perhaps the high price of greatness is not the hard work and years of practice it takes to become a doctor, but the one contagious act of humility that turns medicine into ministry. Maybe the greatest thing is not the up-front pulpit savvy of the pastor, but the lowly vision to reach the diverse and marginalized in our ever changing society. God may not use anything more in this world than the accomplished man or woman who commits to become the "doer of little things."