In contrast to yesterday...
Today I met with the other pastors in Manning Road's circuit of the South African Methodist Church. Yes. They are all men. Yes, Gareth asked me to pray the prayer to open the meeting. It's moments like these when I'm intensely glad that prayer may come from my mouth, but it's not about me. It takes the pressure off...
Yes, the primary topics of conversation were how to improve the Church Synod, whether or not to accept a ministerial candidate into the circuit, pension funds, whether or not to pray for an enormous cyst that's developed on one of the pastor's faces. He refuses to go to the doctor.
Sitting in the same room where I'd taught the ladies about Maya, Vashti, and Esther yesterday, the gears in my head struggled to shift. It felt like when I was in the car earlier today and forgot to put it into first before I tried to take off. The engine doesn't like that. And so, it was good to remember that part of living and working in God's church is living and working with people - people who are usually not the same as I am. Apparently, part of this job - part of life - is allowing God into every relationship and aspect of the process of being a church, no matter how tedious or political it may seem.
And so with that, gentlemen...lad(ies)...gentlemen, I say good night and say thanks for one more day of this life with all its challenges - all its mandatory gear shifts - and all its many joys. Like the joy of Rusk buttermilk biscuit in tea with two sugars and a milk, prepared for you by your pastor - a man, but a gentleman at that.
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