It's about ... TIME

OKAY, so I've spent a bit of time away from blogging. However, I have been writing. It's good to be back -physically, with health improving - and to take the luxury of a little time apart for getting the writing onto the blog.

For a time last Spring, I team-taught an on-line class on Best Practices in Rural Ministry for Wartburg Seminary. Here's an excerpt from a reflection paper that I shared with our students, on the topic of Christian spirituality and servant leadership. The paper was titled "Hope for the Future, Power in the Present: A Letter For Leaders In Small Town And Rural Ministry," and one of the topics dealt with, of all things, TIME.
------------------------
"TIMELY Leadership – Sustaining, transforming ministry leaders make decisions and take action (or refrain from acting) with appreciation for both chronos and kairos. •

Chronos (chronological time) is measured by clocks, calendars, schedules and so forth.

Kairos refers to seasons of life, God’s own good time, the fullness of time.

At all stages of ministry visioning, planning, action and evaluation, leaders need to ask: What time is it? Timely leadership considers and applies texts such as Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. As shepherd of a congregation (not to mention a shepherd of sheep for the last 48 years), I also appreciate the pastoral wisdom of this poem by the late Rev. Gerhard Frost. My copy is packed away, but the poem goes something like this:

Lost
“And how do the sheep get lost?”
the city dweller asked.
“Oh, it’s easy,” the farmer replied.
“They just put their heads down
And nibble themselves lost.”

O Lord, it’s almost noon.
I’ve nibbled my way from one trivia to another.
Have mercy on me.
Redeem this head-down day
and put me back on the path again.
------------------------------------

Recognizing the difference between trivia and truly important matters isn't always easy. Hindsight sometimes makes vision clearer, as what once seemed truly important fades into (forgive the redundancy) the most trivial of trivia. This last year, packed with sheepherding and studying, moments filled a jumble of awesome divine presece in the midst of desperation, has been anything but trivial. In fact, its blessing has been to remind me of what's really important and what's not, what's of the utmost importance and what's really to be left up for grabs.

It's about ... TIME ... and it's almost noon. What time is it for you?

In Christ and glad to be back in this part of the sheep camp,

Pastor Sheepherder

Pastor Sheepherder is BAAAHck

No, Pastor Sheepherder is not lost.
She just hasn't been back to this part of the camp in ...
OH MY (she exclaimed), close to 11 months?!?!?!?!

During that time ...
She has been tending the sheep assigned to her (that would be the flock of her congregation) plus occasionally helping with the four-legged sheep that she and Good Husband steward. She has also just about finished Year One in studies toward a Doctor of Ministry degree and certification as a spiritual director. Also, a few scary health issues over the last year intervened, but she is feeling better and better day by day as the root causes of the symptoms have been diagnosed and addressed.

Watch for resumption of blogs in weeks to come and do respond as you are led.