Pretty sure I just misspelled convocation. Nope! Thanks spell check
Took a little break from hospital visits...well, okay, finished hospital visits and drove to Sumatanga for the Bishop's Convo. Good times, noodle salad. Why? Why go to the last two hours of a two day event? Lots of good reasons follow.
1) As a connectional minister, I live and breath getting to see my cohorts in crime (i.e. other pastors who have been through the same process of ordination in the UMC). The convo, much like annual conference, is simply a time for me to see my friends and meet new ones. I love love love seeing a ton of people who really, I probably only share my love of Christ. Oh, and Auburn football.
2) My church paid for a meal for me and I needed to make good on that money. Food at sumatanga wasn't a particularly great idea, but hey...must be a good steward if I'm going to ask my church members to be as well, right?
3) glean some wisdom from the event. As I sat there listening to Tom Long give a wonderful sermon with perfectly placed illustrations, scripture references, and funny dialog (btw, side note: he also did this on the fly right in front of me. He is an amazing speaker who obviously has a huge heart for Christ) Anyway, here is what I learned: I've been looking for Jesus in different ways, looking for different perspectives, etc. and looked around the room. Lots of methodist pastors who deep down (one time or another or now) really wants to serve Christ. There is some pride issues with the fact that I feel that if Jesus walked through the room they would barely recognize him. But in my infinite wisdom, I think I'd know him, right? Well well...the thought occurred to me that I *must not* lose sight of the Jesus they know. The Jesus *I* know might be my Jesus, and he might look a little different than their's, but God forbid I think myself too high and mighty to see him as my friends do!
4) Been reading Dan Kimball's "They like Jesus but they don't like the church" or something like that. And realized, ha! I'm going to a convo that *might* be people who like the church but don't like Jesus! (maybe that should have been my third point)
Anyway...good times.
Took a little break from hospital visits...well, okay, finished hospital visits and drove to Sumatanga for the Bishop's Convo. Good times, noodle salad. Why? Why go to the last two hours of a two day event? Lots of good reasons follow.
1) As a connectional minister, I live and breath getting to see my cohorts in crime (i.e. other pastors who have been through the same process of ordination in the UMC). The convo, much like annual conference, is simply a time for me to see my friends and meet new ones. I love love love seeing a ton of people who really, I probably only share my love of Christ. Oh, and Auburn football.
2) My church paid for a meal for me and I needed to make good on that money. Food at sumatanga wasn't a particularly great idea, but hey...must be a good steward if I'm going to ask my church members to be as well, right?
3) glean some wisdom from the event. As I sat there listening to Tom Long give a wonderful sermon with perfectly placed illustrations, scripture references, and funny dialog (btw, side note: he also did this on the fly right in front of me. He is an amazing speaker who obviously has a huge heart for Christ) Anyway, here is what I learned: I've been looking for Jesus in different ways, looking for different perspectives, etc. and looked around the room. Lots of methodist pastors who deep down (one time or another or now) really wants to serve Christ. There is some pride issues with the fact that I feel that if Jesus walked through the room they would barely recognize him. But in my infinite wisdom, I think I'd know him, right? Well well...the thought occurred to me that I *must not* lose sight of the Jesus they know. The Jesus *I* know might be my Jesus, and he might look a little different than their's, but God forbid I think myself too high and mighty to see him as my friends do!
4) Been reading Dan Kimball's "They like Jesus but they don't like the church" or something like that. And realized, ha! I'm going to a convo that *might* be people who like the church but don't like Jesus! (maybe that should have been my third point)
Anyway...good times.
Wow--how telling about Methodism (last point).
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