The Relational Pastor by Root Andrew;

Author:Root, Andrew; [Root, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2012-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

12

The Place Between

How We Encounter Christ in Relationships

Shane said “everything changed” with Dave’s confession; he had become a person—the council members had shared in his life. But I have to admit I was skeptical. Not skeptical that they had shared in his life, but skeptical that things had changed. We so often have significant experiences, but it is harder for these significant experiences to really change things. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” and Dave was an old dog.

So I asked Shane, “What changed?” I was hoping to hear stories that Dave was now humble, never again the know-it-all, that sensitivity had replaced his brash exterior.

Shane laughed, “No, Dave is the same Dave in some ways, just last week he cornered a mother of a two-year-old to give her unsolicited advice on her child’s hesitancy around new people. Dave launched into all the things she could do, but worse, he brashly told her all the things he saw she was doing wrong.”

“So what’s changed?” I interrupted, skeptical and confused. “Everything,” Shane returned as quickly as I interrupted him. He offered nothing else to my question, just an “everything” and a grin.

I sat in the silence for a few seconds, trying to make sense of this seeming contradiction. Finally, all I could do was plead, “Help me understand. I really don’t get it. Everything has changed, but Dave, as you said, is in many ways the same Dave? So?”

“I don’t know if I can,” Shane returned. “Dave has changed. I mean his personality is the same: he still is brash and sometimes harsh. But two beautiful things have happened.” Holding up one finger Shane said, “Dave has become more aware of people; I think he now sees people as persons. Even with the mother with the two-year-old, Dave stopped himself, recognizing her uncomfortable disposition. He said, ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be telling it to you like this. I guess in my odd way, I’m just trying to help. My problem is when I try to help, I always try to fix things. I guess what I want to say is that I’ve been there.’ ” Shane paused, shook his head and said, “And I think that is really the point. Maybe the very point of ministry is to help people be ‘there’ for each other.”

He paused again, staring off into the distance as if he were putting the pieces of his experience, his theology and his passion together, finding the words to articulate the core of his ministry.

He then continued, holding up two fingers, “And this is the second thing that happened; Dave changed because he knew that people were ‘there’ for him. Dave knew that those of us at the council retreat had shared his place, we had walked into his life, we had been there for him. Dave changed not only because he knew that he was no longer alone but also because we saw Dave differently. I personally now saw him not as a know-it-all jerk

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.