I tend to find myself in regular patterns. it's something that is easy to get used to. I won't place all blame on the Marine Corps, but it certainly has a part of my mindset.

Ministry tends to be very program oriented since we do a similar thing every weekend. We meet together, we encourage each other and we worship together. In the midst of that, it's very easy to get wrapped in a pattern that feels comfortable and easy to walk in. This week I was challenged to let go of my comfort zone. As a creative guy, I love to be more free flowing and I try to plan my stuff the week of. If I plan out more than a week, I feel like I don't get to connect with what we're trying to communicate or encourage our congregation to consider. It's a fine line. I do have a rough outline put together for at least a month, but I tend to fine tune it the week before. This seems to allow me to focus better on the point at hand.

Unfortunately, my team prefers and feels comfortable with having at least 2 to 3 weeks to practice and they have made it abundantly clear to my Senior Pastor that this is what is expected. The tough thing is, I really love serving with these people and I don't believe that I could have this ministry without them. I just couldn't find enough people to replace them.

I have been a little bummed at feeling trapped but I came to recognize that God will be glorified and that is the important thing. It's not about my ministry style or preference, it's about His glory and praise and none of this other stuff matters. These little heart checks are the push pin markers on the road map I call my journey. They aren't always easy, but they are certainly rewarding.

Being a leader means serving those you lead. I cling to that thought each day hoping someday it will be much faster for me to respond.

Faith is the rate at which I obey God's will.