Transition (Part 2)

Question: Earlier I was asked this question. “Receiving a new pastor can feel a little unsettling. Do you have anything in mind that might help ease the transition?”

Response: I was at a track meet today in which my youngest daughter, Kathryn, was competing. Those of you who have been a spectator at a track meet know there is a lot more waiting than spectating. Even though I had taken a book to read, my mind was more focused on the questions I have received and the responses I gave. As I thought about this question, I realized I left out the most important thing – and I had even preached on it the day before!

Psalm 37 begins with the words “Fret not,” or “Do not fret.” Three times in the first nine verses of the Psalm we are given this instruction. Unfortunately, when I am agitated enough over something that I am already fretting (worrying or anxious), I need a little more than to know I shouldn’t be doing it in order to stop. What I need is a positive activity to replace the activity that I should not be doing. In the psalm God gives us several things to focus on that will keep us from fretting.

Beginning in verse 3 we see we are to…

1. Trust in the Lord

2. Do good

3. Dwell in the land

4. Delight yourself in the Lord

5. Commit your way to the Lord

6. Be still before the Lord

7. Wait patiently for the Lord

8. Hope in the Lord

I want to draw your attention to the very first one, “trust in the Lord.” Many times we think we are trusting in God when what we are really doing is trusting in what we think God ought to, or is going to, do. That is not trusting God. That is trusting in our own opinion.

When we trust God, we are not trusting in a particular outcome as much as we are trusting the character of God. We are trusting his love for us, his wisdom and understanding, and his objectives for our lives. Even though God blesses us with some understanding of what he is up to from time-to-time, there is never a time on this side of heaven when we fully and completely understand God or his ways. That‘s what makes him God and what makes us fallible people.

It is unsettling to receive a new pastor. It is unsettling for the pastor to go to a new place. If we determine together that God wants us to share life and ministry as people and pastor, then let’s actively place our trust in him to the degree that any feelings of unsettledness have no place to land in our hearts and minds.

Biblical Personality

Question: If you were to describe yourself (getting to know you better), who would you consider yourself to be most like in the Bible?

Response: Wow, this one is tough, because I don’t know that there is one person in the Bible with whom I completely identify. What I am going to do here is point out some traits that were exhibited by different people in the Bible that remind me of me, but please know I don’t think I measure up to the full stature of who we know these people to be.

In some ways I feel like I identify with Paul, not because of his powerful ministry, but because it seems to me I understand the way he thinks. As I study the New Testament, I have a much easier time tracking with the portions of scripture that God used Paul to write, than any other book in the New Testament. While I do not believe I have the maturity or insight that he obviously had, I do believe my mind must work a lot like his worked – just not as well.

For the last year, or so, I have felt a strong affinity with David, but not as giant-killer, military hero, or king. I have felt like the David who was left out in the field when Samuel showed up to anoint one of Jesse’s sons King of Israel. While from a human perspective he was overlooked, God had him right where he wanted him to prepare him for his future ministry. While I would never mean to imply that the people I am currently serving as pastor are any less important than any other group, I have come to believe that God brought me to this place not only to serve them, but for things he needed to build into my life for future ministry assignments. As a matter of fact, God used a very special time of prayer to confirm that through someone who did not even know me or know I was thinking this. Sometime I’ll tell you about that, but not now as it would make this answer too long.

Nehemiah is one more that I identify with on the positive side of things. Nehemiah is, perhaps, the ultimate biblical administrator. What I love about Nehemiah, and hope is true in me, is he saw a need, sought God, put together a plan to address the need, inspired people to act, and accomplished the monumental goal of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in just fifty-two days. Along the way he faced stiff opposition and social injustice, yet even in the face of those problems he was able to see the steps that were required, stir up belief in others that the task could be accomplished, brought to the table the organizational skills that were needed to get the job done, and then successfully executed the plan while dealing with unanticipated obstacles.

On the less than positive side of things I identify with the impulsiveness of Peter. I once heard Jack Hayford say, at best, the Gospels only account for twenty-one days of the life of Jesus. I’m not sure how scholars came to that conclusion, but over the years I have come to trust Pastor Jack’s scholarship and integrity. Now with that in mind, the number of times we see Peter speaking or acting impulsively is amazing. Sometimes I am like that with the things I say. Before I realize it or think things through, more often that I would like to admit, my mouth is open and words are gushing out that should have been mulled over a little bit before I spoke them.

Also, on what may be the less than positive side of things, in some ways I find myself identifying with Thomas. I would not call myself a doubter. In fact, I believe the Lord has given me a good deal of faith, but I can, at times, be very pragmatic. There are those times I want evidence that something is going to work or has worked. Even though Thomas’ issue was a problem with believing that Jesus was alive, I think as a leader and administrator he would have wanted goals that were measurable and procedures that had proven reliable. He would have been pragmatic. While in some ways this trait may be admirable, if overemphasized it leaves no room for the mystic aspects of our faith – those times when God moves in ways that would not have been pragmatically possible.

I just remembered something else that’s pertinent to your question. There is a personality profile test called “The Biblical Personality System.” The last time I took it the inventory identified me as “Leader/Decisive/One Who Strengthens,” (IDC for those who know this system) and compared my personality with Ezekiel, Habakkuk, and Jude. The comparison to Ezekiel was with regard to his use of verbal skills to vividly and clearly communicate a message from God whether anyone listened or not. The comparison to Habakkuk centered around concern for people, a desire for answers, attention to detail, his task orientation, and his tendency to be slightly impatient. Jude is also centered on his concern for people and his desire to keep people focused using logical reasoning and vivid examples. I don’t know how accurate these comparisons are, but it is at least a little bit more insight into what I am like and what drives me.