[I'm departing from our normal TV show venue for a couple of weeks, and this week and next am blogging about the North American Christian Convention here in Indianapolis. The theme is Beyond, and I've been asked to give some thoughts about the Thursday morning session, in which George Ross of New Albany, Indiana preached about 'Beyond the Desert of Ministry Fatigue'. The following are thoughts from the whole worship service...and aftermath]
A Yo-Yo in Worship
I was a little self-conscious about having a laptop with me in worship, until I saw the kid sitting in front of me (about 8 years old) playing with a yo-yo during the singing, with plenty of stops and re-starts. Since I was looking for what the Lord might be telling me about me during this session, I assumed it was some kind of pre-message metaphor to show me that–in life and ministry–when I find myself going too fast and lose my rhythm I end up on the floor, tangled, needing some hands to pick me up and give me a new start. (Maybe a stretch, but not too terribly inconsistent with the message.)
Singing with a Point
The worship time was great (has been all week) and ranged from contemplative (Blessed Be Your Name) to rousing (You Never Let Go) to hopeful (a special which stated ‘Once you feel the weight of glory, all your pain will fade to memory’). The songs definitely each had a point, pointing us well to the message just ahead.
By George, I Think I Get It
I had not heard George Ross speak before, and really looked forward to it. I wasn’t disappointed. I found him to be engaging, funny and very down-to-earth/practical…which is ironic, because for whatever reason I was expecting him (really, this topic, I guess) to be very touchy-feely, empathetic and emotional. While it didn’t feel like the latter at all, it was nonetheless pretty transparent, with George in the message sharing some personal struggles–cardio issues, a staff exodus, and general addiction to ministry (and some of its pitfalls).
His message was for all fellow ’ministry-holics’ and recovering Pharisees, which pretty much summed up 99% of the crowd gathered there, and covered three points, followed by three questions. I’ll sum them up quickly:
1) Ministry is a Gift
Ministry is a gift, he maintained, because it blesses others, honors God and fulfills us. He shared a couple great stories about the ministry joy that accompanied: a group of deaf members who were baptized joyfully; and a Jewish lady who came to Christ and celebrated her first Christmas with her family there.
2) Fatigue is a threat
He shared the exhausting nature of both insincerity and comparison, and the big difference between not being weary in well-doing and not being weary in doing well. He ‘shot straight’ about the dangers of being a slave to ministry.
3) Jesus’ style is simple
I’m not exactly sure that I got the correct title for the third point, but he did say that Jesus’ style is simple, and he offered a great synopsis about the rhythm of Jesus’ ministry. Then he gave what I would call the cornerstone idea of his whole message, which is this:
WE DISENGAGE WITH PEOPLE AND STUFF
SO THAT WE CAN FULLY ENGAGE WITH GOD
AND THEN RE-ENGAGE IN MINISTRY
(My belief is that once I get that rhythm right, I will be exempt from attending sessions with titles like this one! Okay, probably not going to happen with this particular yo-yo.)
His three questions then were:
1) If you’re tired, how did you get there?
His suspicions for the answer were: lack of boundaries, lack of mentoring and lack of unity.
2) If you’re tired, why do you stay there?
His suspicions were that we like the entitlement, or adrenaline, or affirmation. He then gave a great Craig Groeschel (sp?) quote, only part of which I could type fast enough to transcribe, which was: “We’ll settle for the mirage rather than the oasis; we’ll settle for the image rather than for the essence”
3) If you’re tired, how do you leave?
He stated that we leave just like Jesus left the desert: after temptation and resistance, and led by the Spirit. God, he said, wants us out of the desert of ministry fatigue, and then wants us to recover so that we can re-enter with passion.
He ended by sharing the story of his father’s renewed zeal to leave the desert of serving…by just sharing Jesus, even if awkwardly at times. We too, no matter how awkwardly, can do the same.
He then led us in ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus , which was followed by the worship team’s great special and then a medley of It Is Well and I Will Rise, at which point any fatigued servants could come forward and pray at prayer stations with some pre-designated couples. It was exciting to see some of those connections being made in the area where we sat.
Post-Session Drama (the Good Kind)
Following the session, I got some quick thoughts from my wife and my parents, who sat next to me (four thumbs up for George Ross) and then I started my hurried walk back to the hotel where I could post this blog. (You’d think I would have walked slowly after George’s message, but I did mention that there was a yo-yo factor here, didn’t I?)
On the way, I said a polite mid-stride hello to Phyllis Fox, from Youth in Ministry. Phyllis replied, “Do you have a minute?” to which I half-truthfully said, “Sure.” She asked if I could come pray with some students who had just come forward to respond to the call to ministry that Steve Poston gave immediately after Francis Chan’s talk to the students.
Even though it delayed the blog for a half hour, I was able to go into a room with about 30 students, and sit at a table with nine of them (eight from Indiana, one from Illinois) who told about how the Lord was getting their attention about a call into ministry/missions. Then we prayed with them, and Curtis Booher gave them some great material about next steps and some upcoming opportunities to follow that call and take the next step.
Well worth a delayed blog!
My Final Conclusion
Between yo-yos and worship and George Ross and spontaneously sitting at a table with nine future ministers and missionaries of the Restoration Movement, I felt released for the afternoon to miss some booths and workshops and ‘networking opportunities’ to hang out at the pool and Spaghetti Factory with my family…
…before rushing back tonight to be blessed by The Rock and the Rabbi!
Thanks, George and the Worship Team, for an incredible session this morning!
