There’s a new restaurant in our area with the rather clever name of Passion8 Bistro.
Passionate.
And I was asked recently, “what are you passionate about in ministry?” Behind that question was the wise observation that the church will tend to follow the lead of its pastor; that the congregation will inevitably be drawn to the ministry passions of its leader.
So I thought about that question. A lot. While driving. While mowing the lawn. While at the Y. While sleeping. (OK, that’s a stretch.)
I even tried to narrow it to one, like a one-point sermon. But there are several things, that when they happen at or through Good Shepherd, really get my adrenaline flowing:
- Kinetics. I get great joy in seeing people move in their faith — from getting invited to getting filled with the Spirit to serving in ministry and then to becoming inviters themselves.
- Culture. I love it when we are able to leverage cultural images to teach counter-cultural truths. The Toddlers & Tiaras clip from this past Sunday is an example.
- Touch. I get energized when we are a “high touch” church. Despite our size, people still get visited in the hospital. We still send notes. We still knock on doors. We still work hard at remembering names.
- Spirit. I live for those times — both Sunday morning and beyond — when we design experiences with such creativity and excellence that the Holy Spirit has room to run wild. The privilege of ministy is to watch Him suprise unsuspecting people . . . and then transform their lives.
That’s what makes me passion8.
What about you?