Either/Or

John Huffman, a Presbyterian Pastor, mastered the art of pithy sayings that carried weighty meanings.With poignancy he called his congregation to meaningful service and mission with these timely words...

Either you are a minister or you need one

Either you are a missionary or your need one

Even I get the meaning in his words. 

As long as I can remember, we have been told that "everyone is a minister...everybody is a missionary" in the world we live in. Deception creeps in and reminds us that "ministering" and "mission-aring" are for trained professionals and most of us should avoid these.

John Huffman is right.

We need to rise above popular notions which prevent us from serving God by serving others. We all have blind spots that prevent us from taking the first step. Yet, we are called to do the very thing that most people try to avoid.

Nudging its way into the Christian faith is the notion that we can follow Christ and not serve others. We convince ourselves it is OK to have a private faith that works for us but does not impact the lives of those we meet daily.

Either you are a minister or you need one

Either you are a missionary or your need one

There are days when I need a minister or a missionary to point me in the right direction, but once I get my bearings and know His direction I am called to point others in His direction. The Christian faith does not lead  people to "sit and soak" in their faith. We are called to something much different.

I am headed out this morning to declare His Glory and remind the people I serve that Pastor John Huffman's words are powerful but His Word is more powerful. Both can transform us into pilgrims on the journey.