"Be Who You Are"

When my senior pastor wrote me a letter for my ordination back in June (and published it for all to see in the monthly newsletter), he gave me some really good advice.  When I saw it sitting on my desk earlier, this part stood out to me:

"Don't ever lose Jill in the midst of ministry.  People and situations will want you to be something you are not and trying to be someone other than who you are will allow you to lose yourself.  This is never good.  Popeye had a saying, 'I am who I am and that's all I am.'"  It is a good philosophy.  Know who you are, be who you are, and others will know you and love you because of it."

These are words I need to hear, especially when I get frustrated with the church or with ministry, when people are wanting me to be someone I'm not, when someone doesn't understand the way in which I lead, etc.

But there have been some redeeming "church moments" in the past few days.  A baptism, a discussion with a newcomer who is seeking, a needed hospital visit with a parishoner, and seeing some members of the praise team coming together to lead and do something without me and something to be proud of, a heartfelt conversation with a friend who is wondering what the future will hold because of his church finding out about his sexual orientation- hearing that there is hope in the midst of this and accepting people who love and accept him for who he is.

And there are so many things to look forward to in the fall and new challenges to undertake- my Social Principles class is sure to stir up some heated dialogue on the "hot button" issues.  I can only pray that God will use this time and this group to allow for growth, knowledge, and understanding.  I already have over 20 people signed up for it, and it's 3 weeks away!  That says to me that there is a hunger for understanding these challenging topics and what they mean for the church.


What is encouraging you lately?