Today marked the close of the "2008 Purpose Driven Community Gathering." You know how I love my "to do lists," so I am processing my notes to compile a handy summary of insights and action items. Good stuff!
My time here was both proftably depressing and encouraging at the same time. One of the more poignant conference features to provoke these polar responses is pictured above. The moderator on the left, Saddleback Pastor Tom Holladay, led five pastors in a discussion of their involvment in global missions. All five regaled us with jaw-dropping stories of how God worked through them and their congregations. It was exciting to see God's goodness in accomplishing things that could only be explained by His hand.
There were eight of these panels, each focused on a different topic, all populated with nothing but gifted, dramatically successful leaders. With a steady stream of almost 30 such extraordinary men on stage, it made being extraordinary seem the norm. And that's where my self-doubt tugged at me. Being an ordinary pastor in what, by comparison, would seem an unremarkable church could make a guy feel a tad sub-par. So I was grateful when one of the last panelists, Jim Lane, described the challenge of ministering to business leaders. He observed, "Businessmen define themselves by what they do, not by who they are. This is what we have to undo."
I think his observation is relevant to us all, pastors included. We want to be defined by great exploits when Jesus is looking for a great likeness to Himself. What a slap-in-the-face reminder to keep things in perspective. I must never lose focus on what matters - a simple and pure devotion to Jesus. Such a heart may propel me to embrace great risks for God. And praise God when He chooses to work through me (and you) in ways that are obvious and impressive. But, more than great exploits, maintaining the white hot fire of passion for Jesus must be my aspiration. This is what defines me; not what I do but who I am!
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