Worship Words at the Summit

A cold coming we had of it
Just the worst time of year for a journey,
and what a journey!
The ways deep and the weather dark; the very depth of winter. (T. S. Elliot)

yep...

A story: One colleague spoke of a colleague of his, a catholic priest, beloved of all in his city, by all accounts, one is to gather, an excellent minister. When asked how he sustains his ministry, he responds, "I pray.".

This minister knows whose he is. He knows his excellence is not the result of his personal talents or hard work but is, at least in part, a gift from the Divine.

amen...

Come, come, whoever you are/though you've broken your vows a thousand times...


Other words...I didn't catch whether they were written by the person who read them or not...

We struggle with competition. The "shadow" comes out every time we talk about excellence, standards, raising the bar, continuing eduction....In all talk of the "best" there is fear that we are worst.
...

I struggle daily with the gulf between the deeply gratifying ministry I experience daily, and the sometimes flat, gray, reactive amalgam of life in the "larger movement."
...
How can I ever appreciate the full variety of effective ministerial styles?
...
I struggle with helping all the players not to duplicate efforts...I struggle with lack of trust between possible partners. I struggle with limited resources! Infighting! And recession-driven congregation! I wonder. What is the best way to help ministers become better ministers?
...
"It is provided in the essence of things that from the fruition of success, no matter what, shall come forth something to make greater struggle necessary."
...
(That must mean that all this struggle is the necessary aftermath of success!)

yep and amen!