5 o'clock and all is . . . crazy!

it is 5 o'clock now that i am returning to start my blog. 'crazy time'; what happened to this day? (and, of course, it isn't over yet!)

i've just been able to complete a church project! (drumb roll, please!) i work with pastors who are going through the process toward 'ordained' (professional) ministry. this process can be something like what the food and drug administration does by putting their seal of approval on something. it is a long process, with a lot of time, energy and other investments (student loans, graduate studies, feed-back from a variety of sources, etc.) we are looking for 'transformational leaders'; a term that can mean all kinds of things, and worth the time for your own reflection; what does that phrase mean to you -- and about you?

throughout this past week, i have been thinking about what it means for folks not wanting to be a pastor, but to simply be in ministry. on sunday we reflected upon john wesley's covenant prayer. we used both the traditional language, and a 'post-modern' translation a la "shade-pierce" (joel scott shade serves as our music director and well, i'm the pastor). during the service, i invited people to use their worship programs as scratch paper, and take it home and reflect on how they would translate/utilize the wesley covenant prayer.

here are both versions; the traditional appears first:

i am no longer my own, but thine.

put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

put me to doing, put me to suffering.

let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

let me be full, let me be empty.

let me have all things, let me have nothing.

i freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

and now, o glorious and blessed god, father , son and holy spirit, thou art mine, and i am thine.

and the covenant which i have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

amen.

i am no longer my own. i am yours.

use me however you wish.

place me with whomever you want.

put me to service. bring me an incredible challenge.

put me in action. keep me on the bench.

i will be applauded or humbled for you.

fill me up! drain me dry.

i will be rich beyond my dreams or i will be completely destitute.

i serve whole-hardly at your pleasure and freely give you everything i have.

and now -- now , my magnificent creator, you are mine and i am yours.

lit it be!

and now let this contract that i make here on earth, be endorsed in heaven.

amen.

this isn't really a contest as to which is better; rather it is an opportunity to be engaged and ponder/journal what wesley meant by writing such a prayer. explore what it means to be in covenant, or under contract with god.

what is it like to dig deeply into your faith? not all of us are called to be pastors, but all of us are

called to make a difference; to transform as we have been transformed. we are all in ministry in one form or another. deepening our faith is dependent upon the investment we place in ourselves and our ministry.

when you're feeling like it's 'crazy time' and you are pushed in multiple directions, (to use the ghost buster's slogan) 'who are you gonna call upon'? a neighbor? a member of your small group? your loving companion? god? the wisdom of literature? or will you turn on the t.v. and hope the crisis passes away?

today we face many challenges, and we cannot just let time pass us on. this is the moment to be involved; to pray, to explore, to take valuable opportunities to live into our spiritual world.

set aside time each day for you and god; it will be the best time of your day. after all, i've never believed that 'crazy time' was a divine invention! do you?