Joy in a Broken World

I look forward to Christmas every year. It is a time of celebration:  music, parties, gifts, great food and time with family and friends. The anticipation of Christmas morning never grows old. Watching the excitement in my own kids as they open their presents brings great joy. Joy was the theme of the first Christmas. The angels told the shepherds to fear not, for they brought “good news of great joy for all people.”

But we live in a broken world. We look around us and we see wars, social unrest, and personal tragedy. How can we have joy when we are surrounded by so much pain?

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Burn Out, Rust Out, or Stay in the Game

A number of years ago I was talking to a ministry leader about serving. He was expressing his frustration about how some Christians do nothing with their faith. He stated, “They rust out. I don’t want to rust out, I want to burn out.”  That sounded so noble at first. Going out in a blaze of glory while serving God and others.  But then I thought, both these ways of living share something in common – they are both “out.”  Is that what God wants for us?

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Balancing the Demands of Ministry

Like many other ministry leaders, when I was first called to ministry, I had passion and zeal to change the world for Christ. After all, we get the privilege of introducing people to the creator of the world, to a God who can dramatically change the human heart for good. I couldn’t wait to see how God would use me in his epic story.

I quickly found out that ministry wasn’t as easy or as glamorous as I thought. That first summer, as an intern, a student drowned at one of our retreats. I can remember sitting in the hospital room with the brother of the student who just died. I thought, “Why did the youth pastor choose me to be here with the brother?” I felt so inadequate. Youth ministry is supposed to be about leading kids to Christ, discipling them and having fun. Yet here I was dealing with a tragedy.  I learned that ministry was less about fun and more about walking with people through life, both the highs and lows.

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