pastors.
i talk with pastors a lot.
i email with pastors a lot.
i love pastors.
maybe because i was a pk.
hmmm…i don’t know why.
i just know i do.
so yesterday, i was talking to a children’s pastor. he has a budget of $500/year. in a church of about 150.
he didn’t have a chair for his office. he’d been using an old metal chair.
so he went shopping.
by driving around.
and he found a chair on the side of the road.
picked it up.
cleaned it off. says it’s better than new.
he was SO excited. it was really the highlight of our conversation.
wow.
we take so many things for granted.
every time, before i spend that next dollar, i’ll think of my friend…
his mismatched bookshelves.
and the chair he picked up on the side of the road.
Comments
20 responses to “picked up on the side of the road”
Great post, Anne! It’s so easy to take the little things for granted. Thanks for the reminder!
–Heather
….you mean the two closets of clothes given to me from ladies who don’t think they’ll ever fit into a size 8 anymore? Oh yes, you are lighting on a subject that is very enduring to me being a PW. ……a Pastor ….listening to every person’s problems down to the darkest hour {midnight}and who cares enough to pick up the phone, dial the church and see how he is?
Identify…..most definitely….I hope you hear from a lot of Pastors or PW’s or even PK’s on this blog. Now, you’re going where the rubber meets the road….. I had tearful eyes reading your blog…..so transparent! Keep up the great, great love, care and compassion, Anne! Thanks!
didn’t Jesus say – in response to the enthusiasm of His early followers – that even the Son of Man does not have a place to lay His head?
so many of us have so much (Kingdom-wise and otherwise); and, so, much is expected of us…
thanks for the reminder, friend!
I suppose I do take an incredible amount for granted … the nearly two-year-old computer in my office that still runs just fine … my 10-year-old Chevy Lumina that still runs … my 52-year-old house that’s still mostly together with its new roof, new air conditioning unit, and broken oven … my 12-year-old marriage that has held itself and me together … a lifetime of faith in Christ. [Just to name a few].
Hope OKC is still treating you right.
perspective
Good stuff. Contentment. I like it.
Wow, what a great reminder. It would be really cool to put a story like that up and give people a PayPal address that they could send donations to and contribute to his ministry. If a bunch of people gave just a few dollars each it could make a big difference. I realize there’s tons of stories like that out there but sometimes we need to do what we can, where we can. I would be happy to help with something like that.
Just a thought.
Brad Ruggles
http://www.bradruggles.com
Nice! Great reminder, especially as we minister to pastors. Thanks for the perspective!
I struggle with the excess around me and I am guilty as well. Thanks for sharing that even in America, there are those who are content and thankful for what seems like the smallest of God’s blessings.
I love how God provides. Thank you.
Hmmmmm, thoughtful, it’s great to be reminded and to have a perspective check.
Yeah, in Tulsa we used fold up plastic tables for over two years as desks. I never found a chair or desk on the side of the road though. That really puts things in perspective when you think about church stewardship.
Nailed it! God ALWAYS provides … we just tend to forget that when we’re so zoomed in on all that (useless, temporary) stuff that we think makes us happy.
It is truly all about perspective. I’m so grateful for how God provides. Not just for my ministry, but for ALL ministries!
Thanks Anne!
thanks anne for sharing that. puts so much into perspective. m.
Thanks for sharing that story Anne. It does keep things in perspective. Also, that tells me that pastor is creative and resourceful. That church is fortunate to have someone like that on their staff.
makes you think twice before buying a $5 starbucks!
Derrick – I like that plastic foldup table idea! You can have extra space whenever you need it and it’ll hopefully cut down on the clutter I usually let pile up on my desk.
gut check. Big time.
I used to be a pastor at a mega-church; had an enormous budget, got to do insane things and never financially flinched. But I left after 14 years to go to a small (300) church where there are struggles and difficulties in life but these people love Jesus and understand the cost of being a follower. I’ve seen more life change in one year here than in all the years at the mega-church. AND yes… we don’t have money to by chairs, although the people here give more per capita than the mega-church, in fact we lose money each month and if things don’t change we’ll have some difficult choices to make.
Thanks for caring enough to bring attention to this issue.