What Matters to God
I have been noticing that despite a recent vacation, I still feel somewhat fatigued. It has taken me some time to understand why I wasn't fully rested. I was sharing with our pastoral team this week, that God desires us his pastors to do three things at the core of our calling: 1. Pray (Connecting with God, listening to God, and interceding for His people) 2. Reading Scripture (Understanding the revealed will of God based upon the Holy scriptures) 3. Spiritual Direction (Being aware of God's presence and desire among the people we minister with) Eugene Peterson, in his excellent book, Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity , suggests that all of these activities are a continium that begins with being attentive to God, so that we can properly understand His will (scripture), so that we can then see that will in the lives of others. The focus of the pastoral call is simply connecting people with the presence and purposes of God. Without time with God,