Pastoring and leading a community can really humble a person. It certainly has humbled me. I am occasionally overwhelmed with my own sense of profound cluelessness. I recently read a short paragraph that Eugene Peterson wrote to his own son (who is a pastor) that says it well.
… we make far more mistakes in our line of work than other so-called professionals. If physicians and engineers and lawyers and military officers made as many mistakes as we do in our line of work, they would be out on the street in no time. It amazes me still how much of the time I simply don’t know what I am doing, don’t know what to say, don’t know what the next move is. … But I had a sense much of the time (but not by any means continuously) that “not knowing what I am doing” is more or less what it feels like when I am “trusting in God” and “following Jesus.”
As we move forward and begin to re-think and shift our staffing at ECC please bear with us. We certainly aren’t perfect (although I don’t sense anyone expects us to be). We have made mistakes in the past and hopefully have learned from them, but sometimes we are still prone to mistakes.
Having said that, please pray for wisdom and good listening skills for us all. That we will hear the voice of the Holy Spirit as we are guided, that we will hear your voice and that we will hear the true voice of those we consider for the position. Pray that we will “trust God and follow Jesus.”
I am so grateful to be serving this community. Thank you for regularly giving me grace and blessing me.
