Ever wonder what a minister thinks about on a Wednesday night?  Funny you should ask as that ran through my brain this evening.  Being a minister is wild, wonderful and occasionally wacky.  There really is no job like it in the world.  Part of your job is being a theologian with all of the answers to any question that is asked.  Let me be very serious for this moment.  I fully realize that official training is no promise of success.  It is also true that one does not need a doctorate before beginning this journey.  But let me add that any minister or pastor without some level of serious education may not be the answer either.  I take my years of study, training and experience as a significant mark of the work.  Do you really want a physician who is just barely past college biology?  Let me move on from that venting.  Another part of this job is to have Donald Trump like skills in management.  You also may find a psychology degree to be vital.  This is only part of my list but you can begin to see how far apart are the areas a minister faces on a daily basis. 

So on this Wednesday night my mind is in several places.  One of them includes trying to be ready to give a sermon outline to print in our bulletin.  My normal routine is to finish that by Thursday evening.  Some weeks it can be done very early in the week.  Other times are more stressful depending on how busy a week can be.  Count this as a stressful week.  Another part of my brain is thinking about various prayer requests we heard in our meeting earlier.  Some of church members facing terminal illness.  Others are friends or relatives of our members dealing with all manner of conditions.  I take our prayer requests as serious as I do any study.  These are people who matter a great deal to others and myself.  There is also a family where I grew up going through a time of loss.  A lot of my growing up years were spent in that home.  This does not account going to church and school together.  My plan is to go to a funeral on Friday morning.  All of this gets factored into my mind at one time.  This is just how it goes for me this evening.

Ministers deal with both the personal and professional issues in this world.  Not only do they bear your burdens but their own.  Not all are profound communicators but they do their best each week.  Some lack the managerial skills found on Wall Street which may be a good thing considering how poorly those companies can be run.  Not all carry with them the most gracious bedside manner.  I look at ministers the same way as doctors since my father is one.  Some are indeed specialists who have super skills in a given area.  But he is also a family practice or just plain old doctor.  That is what I am in ministry.  My aim is for balance without sacrificing one aspect for another.  I do not have a doctorate.  My management skills can be called into question.  My bedside manner had to get better with trial and lots of error. This is how I approach it at least.

Try to remember your minister is human and not divine.  Sometimes a kind word does as much for us as anything else.  He already lives up to an incredible standard due to his calling.  Help him reach the fullness of that great purpose.

Bro. Trey