Maybe I keep the wrong company but I sense that ministers
often find it easy to lapse into cynicism, to allow grumpy to become a stock in
trade. But ordination wasn’t a call to grumpiness but a call to manifest grace,
it wasn’t a charge to negativity but a charge to holiness.
In a church context which often resorts to vision inflation,
emotional rhetoric and ecstatic spirituality as cover for disillusion ministers
are called to bring hope. Ministry is a call to be a woman (or man) of God
whose presence points people to deeper relationship with Christ and whose
actions open up the mysteries of God.
To preach, guide and edify the church week after week is
draining emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. So it is vitally
important to be maintaining a relationship with God which keeps life in
perspective, having a work/life balance that maintains energy levels for the long
haul and an interior life that develops knowledge and understanding. But
pastoral ministry is a charge from God to do so for the sake of the health of
the people of God.
Distinct Reflections 
Simon Woodman and Simon Jones are two ministers not feeling cynical at the moment, according to theri blogs and i might make that three. Anybody else out there felling positive.
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What’s interesting is that both Simons’ have, like me, been at the BUGB ministers’ refresher conference this week. Whatever else it may or may not have done it seems to have sent us away on a positive note.
BTW, Rachel Haig, Richard Kidd,Steve Finamore and Paul Goodliff were all good. My personal highlight was Richard’s talk on prayer as seeing.
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