Unless you've done something like this before it's kind of hard for me to explain. Every Sunday morning I go through what I call the "pre-service jitters." It doesn't matter how much I've prayed, studied, reviewed, reflected, revised, rehearsed, etc. every Sunday I get a bit anxious thinking about the day.
They typically don't go away until the afternoon. Earlier in my ministry I would think, "I can't wait until I've done this enough times and these feelings go away!" Boy, was I naive! They're never going to go away! But that's ok. They force me to lean entirely on God. An older, more experienced pastor told me once that if I ever get to the place where I don't have pre-service jitters I better reconsider what I'm doing.
I understood what he was saying. So every 7 days I tell myself what I'm feeling is a reminder that I need God's help more than I realize. Actually, all of us need God's help more than we realize. For me, it's those feelings of weakness and fear before a Sunday service that keep me focused on God's presence. For you, it might be something else, but we all need those subtle reminders that without Him we can do nothing.
Live on, pre-service jitters...live on!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
And here I thought it was the coffee! :-)
Hey, Randall...sometimes I wish it was only the coffee!
Actually, I am constantly amazed at how vibrant Pastor Del sounds in front of hundreds each Sunday.
Whenever I have to speak in front of two or more people, I start to hyperventilate and my throat restricts to where I can only speak in short sentences.
Thanks, Das! I usually do my hpyerventilating before service!
oPastor Del,
Thank you for the opportunity to speak yesterday. I know that God has plans for not only our small group ministry outreach, but for CLC in general. I am so glad you are the one to lead this congregation into the future. I thank God everyday for bringing me to a church like CLC.
God Bless,
Kenny
P.S. Jeff didn't do too bad last night!!
Thanks, Kenny. You did a great job! And yes, Jeff showed 'em that with a junk car and a big gamble you can finish in the top five!!
I used to lead a Women's Bible study on Tuesday mornings for years. Every Tuesday I would wake up feeling sick to my stomach. I am a trained teacher - but of little kids!!! Teaching adults is a whole other thing! It made me so nervous the thought of teaching God's Word. Even though I had prayed for His guidance, studied the passages and was prepared, I still got the jitters. Truthfully, I was thankful for being nervous - it was a precious reminder that I could not do it on my own - that I had to rely on the Lord for the strength and ability and knowledge. SO I am glad to hear you suffer from this same malady, PAstor Del. I am glad you do not rely on yourself. I am glad you are open enough to show us your humanity. And I am excited to see where we are going on this journey with you.
Post a Comment