when i was employed with a church as a young pastor intern i was straight out of high school, recently graduated. this was the best job in the entire world! i knew there was tons of stuff that i could do and that God would let me, but this was it. and i did not even know it at the time. i just knew that when Cobb asked me to come work with him and do ministry that i would get to continue to have fun and make a difference in other lives. but i must admit, it was more about chillin’ with him than anything - that is the impact he had in my life over the couple years i had gotten to know him. i came to JC in this ministry and now had the chance to be employed by it.
i had been putting time into the church for the past couple of years, being there every nite of the week, consistently in my last years of high school. now i was getting paid to do that very same stuff. it was sweet. until then i never even thought youth pastors DID get paid. and for what? to hang out with kids and make a difference that in many cases will last a lifetime. i know this first hand because Cobb spent time with me six days a week. i would see him at my sports games and extracurricular events at school and then i would be at church the other days doing whatever i could to be around him. and i had no idea that i was doing it. he was just that cool. and when i say cool it is not like he was the most hip and with-it guy... but he cared. he never tried to be a teenager, but he was always wanting to relate with me and the other students in any way that he could. and for that he made a forever-impact in my life.
now, being on staff, i found myself in a great situation. and i realized that Cobb had always been a relationship kind of guy. he was always intentional and deliberate with his time. whether he was working, playing, with family or whatever, it was always intentional. i was always drawn to spending time with Cobb and his family because the guy did not change... you know what i mean. some peeps are one way with family and another with work, and so on. not Cobb. he was always adding value - to his family, me, his superiors, and even peeps he did not know on a personal level. are you that way as a pastor? that is what draws others to you and allows you to make a difference.
I was new and green in ministry on a paid level, taking a full-load-plus at APU, and working tons of hours at the church. but it never felt that way. i was always having fun. there were times when i drove back out to my dorm room after a long nite, followed by a long drive, of church stuff. i never once thought to myself “why am i doing this.” and that is how i knew i was in the right place. i knew because Cobb continually helped me to understand my gifts and talents in the Lord and what it meant for me to use those.
are you in the right place? you need to love what you do. and to do ministry i hope that on that list of stuff you love and need to do is add value to others. be intentional in your time and remember that others will remember you, it just depends on what they will remember you for. i want others to remember me as one who helps them achieve their goals, and above all that they would remember me for putting quality time into them. who puts time into you and how do you do this for others. this is ministry. it will make or break you. you are only as effective as compared to the way you care for others.
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