Be Flexible ...

Flexibility has always been something I recognized as a necessity for being a pastor. Not physically, or I would be in big trouble. But flexible with your schedule and plans. I learned this morning that our community ministerial association is responsible for a community service in the park a week from Sunday. This is at the end of a town festival and has taken place for a few years. However, the ministerial association had gotten the word some months ago that the festival was finishing on Saturday this year and would not have a Sunday morning service. So all of the pastors in town have planned accordingly.

Surprise, surprise, the information was wrong. They are planning on the service and even have some advertising up stating that the service will take place. I am president of the local association this year and our church took charge of this service a year ago. It went well and I acutally enjoyed it and it seemed that the town enjoyed it as well. In fact just 3 weeks ago I had someone mentioned something I said in my message at that service year ago. I was impressed that he remembered and he was not from my church.

So we are being flexible, which means we are scrambling, and going to do the service again this year. That means I have to adjust my vacation schedule a bit. I was going to be gone that Sunday, now we will come home a day or two earlier so I can participate in the service. Flexible, maybe I am more limber than I appear after all.

The real struggle is to know when to be flexible and when to stand your ground. Theologically I don't want to be bending to every whim and fad. Strategically I want to be willing to be flexible as new information becomes available but not to compromise on our purposes. Relationally I want to be flexible to seek what is best for the other person. But I must confess this one is stretching me about as far as I am willing to go. I guess I need to plan another Sunday or two to be away in the near future.