Distracted from worship...

I spent a few days this week in Dover, DE for the Pennsylvania/Delaware District Council of the Assemblies of God Minister’s Summit (what a mouthful that is!) It was good to reconnect with friends from around the district that I don’t get to see very often. Even the business sessions were enjoyable and not their typical Chinese water torture experience! But the best part was being able to enjoy the worship services without any responsibilities.

For once I could relax and worship without being sidetracked with what I needed to do or say. It was actually fun to be a “regular” church attender and experience God without worrying about the different elements of the service. You might be surprised by that, but every pastor I know has the same thought process on Sunday mornings: “Where’s everybody at?” “Will they like what I have to say this week?” “Oh, God, please let the offering be enough!” “Why do I have to make these announcements that no one listens to anyway?” “What will I say during prayer time to encourage them?” “Did I pray enough?” “Did I study enough?” “Oh, God, please let the offering be enough” “What’s for lunch?” “Will Jeff Gordon will win today’s race?”

Ok, so perhaps the last one is specific only to me, but you get the idea. Sometimes it can be hard to “worship while you work.” However, I’m discovering when I begin each service by reminding myself that it’s all about Him and not about performance, image, etc. my worship becomes more focused, and thus more meaningful.

I’ll probably never be completely free of every distraction, but I’m slowly learning to focus on what really matters!