Role Playing

It's been a little strange to not be involved in a specific ministry for a while. I think Michelle and I had been involved with a youth group for about 10 straight years until we moved out here, and, truth be told, I've been missing it lately. But, the task of finding a new church and acclimating to the whole "being-a-student-while-still-being-a-husband-and-father" thing has been very time, effort, attention, and resource consuming. However, as we are settling into our new church home and getting to know people, opportunities are presenting themselves. We have been getting to know the couples that oversee the youth group and the pastor approached me about heading up a campus ministry on behalf of the church, which is where I think most of our attention will be focused on the ministry front. I'm planning on having a bi-monthly get together at our house and doing a book study with whoever is interested. I find my position out here as a student to be very unique, and I haven't quite seen the pattern yet regarding how it can best be used. I'm an old man, yet at the same time a peer, to my fellow students. I see I have the task of inspiring others to maturity without seeming aloof while, at the same time, being a friend without propagating or excusing immaturity; to teach them through my experience without separating myself from them because of my experience. I'm at a very different stage in my life right now than my class mates, but share common ground with them in being a student [at least in this as, as has been pointed out in past conversation, not all students at "christian" schools are Christians]. I'm excited about the opportunities these next years will provide, and thankful that God has blessed me with them.

More immediately, I have been asked to give a devotion at a monthly breakfast on Sunday 07Aug05 before our worship service. Now, it's only a devotion, so I've been asked to keep it to 10 minutes. For those of you that know me, especially those of you that have heard me speak, 10 minutes is, well, challenging [I think it must be a Graves thing that our brains automatically add 15-20 minutes onto time limits ;) ]. Also, I'm kind of trepedatious about the whole thing. See, a large number of the congregation of our church is made up of either: 1)Professors, Dr.'s, etc. that are teaching at the college, 2)Professors, Dr.s', etc. that are teaching at the seminary, 3)Retired professors, Dr.'s, etc that used to teach at the college and/or seminary, 4)Practicing and/or retired professors, Dr.'s, etc that used to/currently teach at the college and/or seminary and that used to be the pastors of my congregation or other congreations within the denomination. In other words, lots of knowledge, lots of experience, lots of wisdom. And I'm supposed to teach them something. Daunting, to say the least. So, as I see it, I've got just over two weeks to come up with a topic, research it, put it into a comprehensive 10 min. package, and muster the nerve to speak it to such people as described above. Yikes. Maybe the 10 minute limit is a blessing. Needless to say, I very much covet your prayers.

I'll let you know how things go.