The Bride of Christ
I work for a church
I spend the day thinking and processing things that reach people for His name’s sake.
I had 7 meetings today.
Strategizing, planning, and critiquing.
I prayed in none of them.
Actually I did.
For the unhealthy food I was about to eat for lunch.
And for 5 seconds.
I shudder at the tears He cried as I allowed my serving Him to replace my knowing Him.
Lest we forget.
Los
RAIN IT DOWN
So true. it's so easy to get caught up in what we need to do. Thanks for the reminder.
Well said.
Convicting. Very convicting. Thank you for the slap up the side of the head. Really.
Thanks for reminding us. I wish that I would remember it more, but also that the folks in the church I pastor would remember it. I work for Jesus. Not the board. Not the deacons. Not the pew sitters who suck the air and life out of everything. No, just for Jesus. When I remember and live that fully I can serve them a whole lot better.
Great Post. So important. We are fasting and praying at our church for the next two weeks that is what God has been speaking to me. Trust comes through relationship. We can never forget time spent builds that relationship.
Well said … thanks man
eek..i know that song!
I don't work for a church, but I became convicted about the lack of time I spend in prayer. Basically, my prayer at work was the same as yours. So, I set a pop-up reminder in MS Outlook to remind me to pray. I set it for every 30 minutes, and generally speaking I do pray when it comes up. But, some are quick like, "Yeah, I'm here, God and I haven't forgotten about you. Please don't forget about me."
I think we all need to improve on our prayer life.
Funny thing about the pop-up. IT was remote-controlling my machine one day trying to figure out a software issue. The computer popped up "Pray" and the IT guy (on the phone) busted out laughing. It's pretty bad when I'm trying to fix a problem and the computer tells me to pray…
That's brilliant. Though in all seriousness, I've often had the most effective resolutions to IT related problems when I've prayed rather than relied on human wisdom. We are meant to pray as a first resort after all.
So very true. When I was on staff at church there were many times we'd forget to talk to the person for whom we were really doing it all.
I'm right there with you man. I've been running around the University of Central Florida all day trying to get technical stuff together for Campus Crusade's weekly meeting without really thinking about WHY I do all of this stuff.
But man, 7 meetings. Suckkk.
I work a church, for the next couple of weeks at least. I'm leaving because of a lack of a lot of things, but prayer is one of them. I honestly can't remember the last time I actually prayed with my lead pastor. We even met last night to talk about where I feel God is leading my wife and I and why(naming a lack of prayer and more as major issues), and we didn't even pray after that! It's good to see someone who leads their ministry realizing how important prayer is. It's not that way with the church I'm at now. It never has been. Now, there's a ton more issues with the church I'm at now than just my feeling that we don't pray enough as a church, but it is one of them. And it's just one of the reasons I feel my time with them has ended.
Sorry, didn't mean to rant. I love my pastor and the rest of the staff dearly; they are all super great friends of me and my wife. I sincerely hope that God will take them places and teach them things. He's just revealed to me that I'm not the one to take them there.
And I'm keeping this one comment anonymous for what I think are apparent reasons.
Good word. We have very few people show up for our Wed noon prayer/worship time, and have thought about canning it. then today, as I prayed, I thought – at least this is a scheduled time where we are forced to stop and pray … if that's what it takes ..
Huge thought. "Serving Christ" is often thrown around in Christian circles as the end-all of things to do. It seems like "loving God" is more what the goal is rather than simply going through the motions. It's a rough tension, though, since serving God is also a pretty good idea, to say it lightly. That's something I think about a lot, particularly in the context of my relationships.
steven, also, one would assume that the byproduct of "loving Christ" is "serving Christ" … someone who loves will serve. But Jesus made it clear in the story of Mary and Martha, we're to be sensitive as to when it's time to show our devotion, and when it's time to do our "service tasks".
i hear ya…had the same kinda day!
just kick me in the face why dont ya?!?!?
I've just realised how blessed I am to serve in a church where all meetings open in prayer, work in a company where Christ forms the backbone of the ethos, and have grown up in a Christian house where prayer became habit (in the good sense of the word, ifyaknoworrimean)
I work at a place that opens every meeting with a prayer and usually closes one with a prayer also, unfortunately what at times goes on between the prayers is really ugly and venomous.. and I am not talking about creative tension here, and what to do? So, at times are our prayers from the heart or are they only for the listeners ?
So…my small group and a few fun guys went up north for new year's and us small group girls exchanged presents. One of the things Patty B got everyone was your Authenticity CD from back in the day (which, of course, I already had). We put it on right then and I swear I almost started crying. The reason? (besides simply missing you and your fam) was that 3 or 4 of the people who we were with joined Sandals after you had left…thus never experiencing a Carlos-led worship Sunday. That made me sososo sad…it so unbelievable.
Still miss you here, Los.
Cheer up emo kid.
This is good!! May we be challenged in every job we do to keep our knowing Him the best thing we could do.
convicted.
yikes… scary because this post was my Monday. It is disheartening when praying is (already) counter cultural in our daily lives… and then demoralizing when it is counter cultural in our church (my workplace). It challenges me to be the protagonist and lead in prayer wherever I find myself… that is culture making as opposed to culture engaging.
preach
oh brother I have so been there
I don't work at a church, but I certainly attend lots of meetings at mine for planning and organizing various ministries. Anyway, I often thought about how we pray at the planned ones… but then it seems that those happenstance meetings that sometimes occur… like the "hey, we need to talk about……." Anyway, those are most often not opened or closed in prayer.
We tend to go on our own opinions about certain situations. hmmmm
a constant struggle for anyone in ministry. a challenge that I think He longs to see defeated. we can be strategic all we want but it means nothing if we have zero communication with the reason we serve! good stuff for me, a YP wife trying to be everywhere all the time with the entire family. whew.
Pray more. Do less. More will get done.
Thanks for sharing this. It's something that we all need to hear, and remember to live. Daily.
Good post. A real insight into what 'church' can become.
"God, do you mind? We strategizing here! Geeesh, the prayer meeting is on Friday. Come back then."
praise Jesus for those who cover us as "Marys" while we're being "Marthas"