Introduction to Lifestyle Worship III, Dismissed

This week, Mission To Children is beginning one of the most important, one of the most significant, series we’ve ever presented and that you’ll ever hear.  We are introducing this series by telling the true story of a young husband and father whom we’ll call Charles. 

During the past couple broadcasts, you learned that Charles was a man who loved God, and his quest for significant ministry led him to resign from a secure college faculty position in order to pursue a demanding program of doctoral study – that also required a change of location for him and his young family. 

Over the next six years that he worked on his doctorate, he was recruited by three churches, one after another, to be a fulltime pastor in charge of developing their ministry of worship and music.  Each church commitment required another relocation.

Charles and Kay were aware of the stress that this combination of a demanding doctoral program, a demanding fulltime ministry and frequent relocation was putting on their young family.  Yet, they felt that the stress was temporary, and that everything would get easier when his doctorate was completed.

Let’s continue their story from that moment when they were dreaming that their lives would soon return to normal.

It was Monday, the day after Easter, and Charles drove to church through the soggy midwestern spring morning.  He parked their station wagon and playfully jumped mud puddles in his path to the building where he shared offices with several other pastors in their church.
         
Charles was on an emotional high, fueled partially by the incoming change of weather and partially by the outgoing Easter season. Their Easter musical presentation had been a tiring but delightful experience, complete with choir, orchestra, children, drama and multimedia.  The sight and sound of all those talented people working together so diligently had been stimulating. The resulting sense of worship expressed by so many, made him almost forget the tremendous effort they had invested to make it look so easy.

Settled into his office, Charles began sorting out priorities for the week. He needn't have bothered. They were soon dramatically arranged for him.

About midmorning, his intercom buzzed. The senior pastor was on the other end of the line. Could he come in and see Charles? Certainly. In itself, that wasn’t earth shaking.  Yet, his radar sensed that this would not be a casual fireside chat. (Listener, have you ever had that feeling?)

Sure enough. After pleasantries were exchanged, the senior pastor got to the point. In moments, Charles found his inward self pulling back in shock, recoiling emotionally from nicely-phrased words that brought him a burning message.

The words blurred, at times not even registering in his stunned brain. Some phrases floated up to the surface: "...They think your gifts can be better used elsewhere...look for another place to work...nothing personal, of course...you just don't fit here...."

The pit of his stomach felt as if Charles had swallowed a chunk of ice the size of a hand grenade. Whole. Then it exploded, giving his entire midsection a deep chill.

After the senior pastor left his office, Charles called Kay and as best as he could, given the emotional numbness he was feeling, he relayed the tidings. She responded like the precious partner she was. No hysteria, no tantrums; just supportiveness, quietness and love. Just what Charles needed most.

Next, Charles took some time to retrace his ministry path. Life up to then had basically been a steady string of successes. He grew up with the understanding that a person who worked hard and did well would be rewarded, not discarded.  The blow of being asked to resign was therefore compounded--it seemed the reverse of what was deserved. What had he done to deserve this? Where had he gone wrong?

Yet, that's the way it was. Instead of a return to blessed normalcy after six years of steep mountain climbing, year seven became their toughest test ever.  Within a few weeks of each other, Charles had finally been awarded his hard-earned PhD and been dismissed from a much-enjoyed ministry.  One was a major achievement; the other felt like a major "failure." Whip-lashed by emotions, the latter overwhelmed the former.

Listener, have you been where Charles was?  Are you perhaps there now?  When we resume tomorrow, we’ll begin to understand why God brought Charles down this path.

© 2007 John Garmo. If you would be interested in using this article, please contact us at Info@MissionToChildren.org.