The Most Loving Place in Town by Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges

Author:Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges [Blanchard, Ken & Hodges, Phil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2016-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

12

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER?

Pastor Mike Reston was deep in thought as he stared out the airplane window onto the sea of clouds that stretched to the horizon. Across the aisle, Jane was enjoying one of her favorite activities, working her way through a crossword puzzle.

As he looked at the patchwork of farmland that occasionally appeared through breaks in the cloud layer below, Mike reviewed what had become clear to him about himself and his ministry at Beacon Hill. He had reaffirmed that his primary calling was to preach and inspire the spiritual growth of his congregation.

After his conversation with Jane, he had also come to grips with the fact that something was missing in the life of the church. Beacon Hill wasn’t quite the heaven on earth he dreamed it could be, and it certainly wasn’t the purposeful community that Jesus had envisioned. Mike couldn’t put his finger on why. He knew his heart was in the right place, yet he also had to admit that trying to live up to the image of a twenty-four/seven pastor had drained the joy from his work. He was frankly weary of the always churning relationships that made up the life of the church. Over the past year or two, the endless petty rivalries had caused him to slowly withdraw his emotional investment in leading Beacon Hill.

He bowed his head and silently prayed: Lord, show me how to be the leader You have in mind.

“Sir, would you care for anything to drink?” The flight attendant smiled down at him, interrupting his prayer.

“Just water, thanks,” he replied.

The flight attendant gave him his water and took the order of the passenger sitting next to him.

The plane jolted, hitting a pocket of turbulence, and the ice in his cup shifted. Mike’s thoughts turned to the likely challenges ahead: contested budgets, squabbles over meeting spaces, a way to finance long overdue repairs, interpersonal differences and competition, and the usual criticisms of his sermons. Mike exhaled heavily, letting out an unintentional groan.

“My goodness,” said the passenger sitting next to him, looking up from his book. “That’s quite a heavy sigh.”

Mike turned to the passenger, an affable-looking fellow wearing glasses and a big grin. Looking into the man’s smiling face, Mike got the strange feeling he’d seen him somewhere before.

“Sounds like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders,” the passenger said.

Mike laughed. “Yeah, my wife over here calls it my Superman complex.”

From across the aisle, Jane looked up with a smile.

“I guess I was thinking through some work-related leadership issues and reacted to my thoughts a little too loudly,” said Mike to the passenger beside him. “Sorry to interrupt your reading.”

“What kind of business are you in?” the passenger asked.

“I’m a church pastor. My name’s Mike Reston.”

“Hello, Mike,” said the passenger, extending his hand. “I’m Vince Blakely.”

That name rang a bell, along with his face. “Do I know you from somewhere?” Mike asked.

“Maybe,” Vince said with a shrug. “I’ve written a couple of books. My expertise is business management and leadership.

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