Contemplative Pastor---Danielle's January Update
Our staff recently returned from a rejuvenating retreat where we spent time with Brady Bobbink, the former director of Campus Christian Fellowship at Western Washington University. Every summer we send about 100 students from our ministry up to Bellingham, Washington to participate in Student Institute of Campus Ministry, which Brady created. He has been such an influential person to our staff, our students, and our entire ministry! It was such a blessing to have him and his wife, Shirley, with us for several days. He then came and spoke to our family of churches this past Sunday.
One topic Brady spoke about that stood out to me was the inner life of a pastor. Our staff read a book in preparation for this retreat called The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson. Brady emphasized Peterson's assertion that the primary job of pastors is to pray and guard the flock, to protect and maintain a life of solitude and intimacy with the Lord, rather than productivity. This has been a struggle for me over the years, as I thrive on getting things done and fixing people's problems. I have been reminded how important it is to pace myself in the rhythm of ministry, which includes a time of the Lord reshaping me for his mission. I believe this practice will allow me to serve the students better this coming semester, especially as I prepare for the big transition of motherhood.
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| Our family of churches, including our campus ministries, gathered for worship and to hear Brady speak |
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| Not the best photo but you can see Brady (second to L) and his wife, Shirley (in the back row) speaking to our staff |
One topic Brady spoke about that stood out to me was the inner life of a pastor. Our staff read a book in preparation for this retreat called The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson. Brady emphasized Peterson's assertion that the primary job of pastors is to pray and guard the flock, to protect and maintain a life of solitude and intimacy with the Lord, rather than productivity. This has been a struggle for me over the years, as I thrive on getting things done and fixing people's problems. I have been reminded how important it is to pace myself in the rhythm of ministry, which includes a time of the Lord reshaping me for his mission. I believe this practice will allow me to serve the students better this coming semester, especially as I prepare for the big transition of motherhood.
Please be in prayer for our 2020 Winter Camp next weekend! We are hoping to have around 500 students attend across all the campuses. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us! Hopefully next month I'll have plenty of neat stories to share :)
Thank you so much for your faithful support and prayer. I hope your holidays were refreshing and that this next year is full of opportunities to deepen your relationship with the Lord.
With love <3
Danielle
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