FAIL - Week 1

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday          Jonah 1

Tuesday         Jonah 2

Wednesday   Jonah 3

Thursday        Jonah 4

Friday             Matthew 14:13-24

Saturday         Luke 9:37-43

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, so often we feel like failures.    Remind us that you can use our failures for our good and for your Glory.   In Jesus’ name, AMEN

READING:

When I was 22 years old, I was getting ready to go to seminary.   I got a call from a district superintendent.    He asked me if I was living close to the seminary, I said “Yes sir”.    “Well, I have a church, it is small and they don’t have a place for the preacher to live.  Would you be willing to live here, go to school and drive back and forth and serve that church?”    You have to understand, serving a church was my dream.  So, of course, I said “Yes.”   And I loved those folks.   Toward the end of my second year in seminary, I went before the Board of Ordained Ministry.   Now for us Methodist folks, that is the credentialling agency.    I would eventually serve on that Board for several years.    People who feel called into Methodist ministry answer a lot of questions.   We read all their answers, listen to them preach and interview them.    Sometimes we say, “You are ready.”  Those folks pass.    Sometimes we say, “You need a little more work.”   Those folks are deferred.   I went before them and felt pretty good.   Right up until my interview.   They liked my paperwork.  They liked my sermon.   But then they said, “You are serving a church.”  “Yes I am.”   “But you are living in Atlanta.”    “Well, yes I am.”    “We think it is important to live in the community where you serve.   Do you not think that is important?”    “Well, I do.    But see, they don’t provide a place for the preacher to live.   And I had a place to live close to campus.”    Well, at the end of the day, they deferred me for not living in my community.    I was devastated.   I was embarrassed.  I was heartbroken.   I felt like… a failure.   I got moved to a place that provided me a place to live.   The next year, I went back and I passed.   Why am I telling you all of this?   Because for years I have worked with candidates.   Some pass.  And some are deferred.   And the ones who are deferred feel devastated, embarrassed, heartbroken.   So, I have had plenty of opportunities to look people in the eye and say, “I know how you feel.”  And they say, “No, you couldn’t.”   And I say, “Yes.   Because it happened to me.    And I know that as much as it hurts today, in the long run, you can still serve wonderful churches.   You can even serve on the Board of Ordained Ministry.”     It sure felt like a fail.   But I believe that God has used that fail for my good and His glory.