Refusing to Join Good Causes because eventually we will explode (and parts of us will be found on Pluto)

Reading some more dangerous material.... Mark Driscoll's new book, "Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church" is starting my mind and keeping it going (as if it needs to move any faster - not that it is severely intelligent, just busy thinking about puzzles and birds and how I can use pigeons to take over the world). Anyways, I came across something that I needed to read and be told boldly, and I know I've heard it before, but I needed to read it and have it come out of the page and smoke me in the face like a Tyson punch. If I keep doing and doing and doing - I will burn out, explode and pieces of me will blow away everywhere, making it hard to have a good funeral because there will be pieces missing... What a tragedy.
Anyways, this passage is addressed to pastors in this book, but it applys to all people in ministry or involved in the church. Read it and let it sink in deeply. Allow yourself to be punched by the truth that I needed to hear and will need to apply into my life immediately - because I just love people and love to do.... here it is:
"Speaking to other pastors, I learned that many pastors, particularly pastors of small churches, are busy but bored like I was. They spend their time taking care of their people and running services but don't have much of a mission to keep their pilot light lit. So they tend to volunteer time in other ministries, such as overseas missions trips, parachurch organizations, and the like, to do something more than just answer the phone and meet with the same handful of people that already know Christ and drive the pastors nuts. I was convicted that rather than spending my time supporting auxiliary ministries outside of our church, I should labor to build a church that would satisfy my ministry desires by being on mission with Jesus to transfrom my city by the power of the gospel. To do this, I would need to stay doggedly focused on our mission. Over the years, this has become increasingly difficult because the other pastors in our area, whom I do sincerely love, are prone to jump on various bandwagons, from political causes to social agendas, and want me to do the same. I REFUSE TO JOIN THEM NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE WRONG BUT BECAUSE THEIR PROJECTS ARE OFF MY GOD-GIVEN MISSION AND, THEREFORE, ARE A WASTE OF MY TIME AND ENERGY, NOT UNLIKE A HOCKEY PLAYER SPENDING HOURS PERFECTING HIS CURVEBALL" - p. 53, Mark Driscoll.
May we not be offended by this unless we should be. May we help our pastors to do their God-given mission for the church - because they are the architect of the ship, not the dishwasher or crewmen - but those jobs are needed and are important!
Help your pastors by making sure that they are not focusing on things that they shouldn't! Allow them time to do what they are called to do! Make them refuse to do certain things.
And for us who are not yet pastors but are in ministry (which means that you are a believer and follower of Christ because you've been given a spiritual gift(s)), make sure that what you are doing is meaningful and what God has called you to do! Don't just be busy, but be effectively used by Him!

Honestly, I don't think that I will ever be much of a pastor in the way that people think of pastors, but I agree with Driscoll when he says that he has "accepted that he is not much of a pastor but rather a missiologist studying the city who leads a church filled with missionaries who reach the city and with pastors who care for the converts"-p.51.
That is my vision - a church filled with missionaries that love Jesus that go out into their community and share the love of Christ and to have elders around me that shepherd the converts while I am following what God calls me to do..... (Somedays of my life....)

Loving Jesus, culture & His Church,
Dwight