Northwoods Seelsorger

Throughout my years in the ministry I have struggled with disappointments. Anyone serving the church knows what I mean. We enter the field flush with high expectations and boundless dreams, and then reality hits hard. Churches decline under our watch. Complaints shake our confidence. Members fail in their personal lives. The list goes on. How does one handle these disappointments? Some eventually burnout and leave their calls. A few others simply drift from place to place looking for a greener pasture. Some live in denial and may try to blame others to deflect it from their own conscience. As I mused on this dilemma I came up with a short list that may be helpful to anyone who has been down this lonely road. I would have liked to have had a neat list of 10, but even that fell short of expectations..... 1. Accept the things you cannot change . Not everything is in your control. You cannot make people live better lives. You cannot force them into more moral choice...

To those who inquired about my absence from cyberspace and shared their appreciation for my musings on this little blog, I am appreciative. Life, as we all know, has a way of getting complicated and busy, and this part of my life was simply put on hold while I caught up. At present I am juggling more than a few balls of responsibility, and with the holidays it became a bit hectic (along with some minor health issues as well.) Besides my usual 'civic' avocations (Scouts and Fire work), I am also preoccupied these days with a local vacancy to the north and my ongoing duties as circuit counselor. Still, I think I'm catching up.... It's hard to believe that in the midst of all this I was even entertaining the thought of pursuing a D. Min. degree out of St. Louis! I have long wanted to have some academic challenge to kee p my mind fresh and give me some options for the future, and after much deliberation began to lean toward doctoral work in homiletics. At present...