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<\/p>\nTen years.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a long time, or is it?<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re in grade school, 10 years may as well be a life sentence. In that context we can\u2019t even fathom how far away recess is. To a third grader, in 10 years they will all be millionaires, cars will fly, and all known adults will be dead and gone (or at least put away in a home somewhere).<\/p>\n
To those young adults out there scraping by, raising a family and working your rears off; you see 10 years a little more realistically. In ten years will have the house one-third paid off, all the kids will be in school (oops, here comes another one\u2026 surprise, surprise) and we\u2019ll finally be getting somewhere at work\u2026 God willing. It\u2019s still in the distance, but 10 years from now is a light at the end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n
To older adults (which, by the way, is anyone older than me) they see 10 years in a completely different light. Listen to them talk: “It\u2019s a blink, a flash, a moment, gone before you know it!” They look down the road and say that in the next ten years yours kids will be grown and gone, your money will be grown and gone, and your hair will be grown and gone\u2026 hang on to them all while you can.<\/p>\n
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So, what\u2019s significant about 10 years? November 14 marks a significant anniversary for me as 10 years ago today I became a pastor for the first time.<\/p>\n
It was a traumatic week for me as in that\u00a0one week time period\u00a0I becmae a pastor, a dad and lost the mullet I had been working on since 1989.<\/p>\n
A moment of silence please for business in the front and party in the back…Thank You…\u00a0The world does not know what it lost when it gave up on the mullet.<\/p>\n
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Actually, I’ve been in the ministry since 1991 serving on church staff in various capacities as youth, children and worship pastors before, and had preached for a few years. But, today marks the anniversary of when I was given the responsibility for being the shepherd of a flock and for becoming accountable to their God for where they go and what they do.<\/p>\n
Although the national standard shows that pastors change churches every 2-2.5 years, I have only served 2 churches in my 10 years. The one I was in during seminary when I became a pastor and the one I serve in now that I came to after seminary.<\/p>\n
Honestly, I\u2019m kind of proud of that (not arrogant so much, and I\u2019m really proud of that), but on this 10 year milestone I\u2019ve been asking myself some questions:<\/p>\n
These really aren\u2019t questions anyone else can answer for you. I live and work in a profession where people either love or hate you, and both groups are pretty eager to tell you which camp they live in.<\/p>\n
Christians\u2026 gotta love\u2019em\u2026 seriously, God says we have to.<\/p>\n
These questions we have to answer in the quietness of the moments we share with our Lord alone. Others opinions are entertaining, but the God conversation is the only one that really matters.<\/p>\n
In the midst of that instropection (<\/p>\n
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“<\/sup>Commit your actions to the L<\/span>ord<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>and your plans will succeed.”<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n