Most of the time, Sunday evenings after church are a time to relax, but tonight we are packing to go to Seaside, Oregon. Tomorrow begins a 3 day pastoral retreat. It is a time of worship, preaching, teaching, and fellowship. The great part about this is, as pastors we are responsible for these things in our churches weekly, but at the retreat, we get to relax. Just listen to the preaching, worship without thinking about it, and answer altar calls without worrying about what someone might think. That is the hardest thing for me, personally. If I go up front when an altar call is being offered at our church, I am always concerned about what people are thinking: oh no, is pastor cheating? are they having trouble with rebellious kids? is the marriage in trouble? are they thinking about resigning from our church? is he having trouble with porn? is she gossiping and slandering?
I know I am suppose to not care what others think, just focus on God, but somehow I am always hesitant to answer an altar call, especially for "getting closer to God". Isn't a pastor's family supposed to already be close to God?
Retreats are a balm to a troubled spirit and a haven for someone who always feels in the limelight. I love being pastors and wouldn't trade it for anything. I just like to be part of the congregation sometimes. Also, it is really nice to catch up with others in ministry and pray for each other in real life, not just on Facebook or such.
The kids are staying home and a family has invited them out for dinner on the night that they will be alone. I am so thankful for such thoughtful and generous members of our church family.
I probably won't write much over the next few days but when I come home, I will have lots to share.
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