jhministry

Leaders have evidently learned how to apologize. The last few weeks we have seen some prominent people apologize for their actions. As of late Mark McGwire, Tiger Woods, and Toyota executives have all had to make public apologies for their actions and decisions.

Unfortunately, the public has not received any of these statements with acceptance. They were said to be vague, insincere, or just too late. People are rarely satisfied with an apology from a leader. They always want more information, emotion, or dirt. The most important action people want to see from an apologetic leader is this: RESULTS.

A leader who says, “I am sorry,” needs to produce some results. Apologizing does not mean anything unless it is followed by a change in actions. Everyone is watching to see what happens next for companies like Toyota because words are only backed up by results.

People do look to their leaders to own their mistakes. More importantly, they are looking for their leaders to change their actions.

Over the last few months I have been learning a lot about my sin and my relationship with God. When I sin I build up a wall between myself and God. God never causes me to sin, it is a personal choice that I make to put my will ahead of God’s will. Let me say that again, when I choose to sin I put my desires before God’s.

What is great about God is that he is always ready to deal with my sin. He is ready to tear down the wall that I have built between the two of us. If I admit that I have put myself first and that I have built the wall, he is there destroying the wall that I have built. He takes my sin and our sin away brick by brick.

God never builds a wall between us and him. He desires to have a relationship with us with nothing standing in the way. The challenge is to not put my will before God’s will in my life. The challenge for me and for us is not to build the wall.

“You know that song ‘If a body catch a body comin’ through the rye’? I’d like–

“It’s ‘If a body meet a body coming through the rye’!” old Phoebe said. “It’s a poem by Robert Burns.”

“I know it is a poem by Robert Burns.”

She was right, though. It is “If a body meet a body coming through the rye.” I didn’t know it then though.

“I thought it was ‘If a body catch a body,’” I said. “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody is around–nobody big, I mean–except me. And I am standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff–I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be. I know it’s crazy.”
The Catcher in the Rye

I am a big fan of this passage and the book. I know that this book is controversial, but sometimes we can find truth in the most interesting places. I believe this paints a beautiful picture of what student ministry can feel like. As a student pastor, I at times feel like my team and I are standing in a field of rye next to a crazy cliff. Our students are playing the game of life and we are there to help them make good choices and hope that they don’t run off of the cliff. Of course we are also there to catch them and love them through even the most difficult of circumstances.

I chose Standing in the Rye as a subtitle of this blog because I believe it describes my life and work.

Seriously, I have had this blog for a very long time. I think I have had it for almost 2 and a half years, and right now this is my very first post.

I can be kind of a procrastinator.

So I am going to start my blog now and try to be faithful in my writing. I hope that it is fun for you to read. That is, if someone reads it.