Rich Moments to Reflect On!

There are those moments in life that cause you to reflect for a moment concerning the rich opportunities that one has to make a difference. Today, I had one of these moments that have deeply impacted me in areas of my soul. This moment took place after our church service today when a family that was a part of our church in San Jose, California came to our home in Lincoln so that I could meet their daughter’s fiancé’ and begin the process of their premarital counseling. As I sat in the chair of my office with this young lady and her fiancé’ along with her mother and father it was difficult not to reminisce have my mind go back well over 20 years ago remembering how my wife and I were in the hospital room the day she was born and having the opportunity to see this wonderfully bright little girl now sit in front of me as an incredibly beautiful and intelligent young woman. Soaking this moment in I reflected on her words to me a few weeks prior when I was on the phone with her and she stated, “Pastor Al, I always wanted you to marry me?” A very rich moment for me as I pondered this thought was that being a pastor allowed me to see how God shapes the story of families generationally as their story engages God’s story and they are transformed. What a marvelous moment to be able to share with my heart with this young man that this woman he desires to marry is a treasure and to share with him that, “he must be incredibly special for her to choose you.” Tears welling up in my eyes and in the eyes of her mother and father we all understood that we were connected at the soul.” Not because of a common history. Not because of common friends that we share. Instead, we were connected because we were able to speak the language of the soul. Larry Crabb calls this Soul-Talk and he defines it as speaking whatever is truly alive in us into another and accepting whatever is truly alive in another when it is spoken into us.[1] One of the rich benefits of Soul-Talk is in the words of David G. Benner builds a “Mutuality” that creates trust and in such a way that one can speak “truth and love” to another.[2] Many pastors get stuck and as a form of protection minister with their heads because to do so with the heart risks to much pain. The beauty of the calling dries up as the “doing” of an occupation called “Pastoring” is weighted down from the survival instinct of performance based on self-absorption that keeps one’s thoughts on their success rather than the success of others. Here is the thought I would like to leave you today. Regardless of whatever your occupation when we move beyond all the survival coping mechanisms that allows one to hide behind the wall of self-protection we are given no opportunity to see the beauty of God’s goodness unfold in the lives of people generationally. Here is another option: When we are vulnerable and our ambition is to see others passionately walk into what God has purposed for them even risking our vulnerability to admit our own failures you will become like an adopted aunt or uncle who has the wonderful joy of being able to see them graduate into new areas of maturity the stages of life. Now you are not doing a job but instead you are living out the richness of your calling.   [1] Larry Crabb, Soul-Talk: The language God longs for us to Speak. (Tennessee: Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2003), P 18. [2] David G. Benner, Sacred-Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction. (Illinois: Downers Grove, Inter-Varsity Press, 2002) p 76.