The Benefits Package

We all have our days. When the paperwork piles up or the feeling that selling/producing/buying widgets doesn't make much cosmic sense or when our critics win or you get too much pushback from the higher-ups or we're affected by somebody else's dumb decision.

I've had mine.
You've had yours.

We also experience the upside, too. When the paperwork gets noticed or the widget made a real difference or you get a pat on the back or your superiors notice or the team gets the job done with flair.

I've had mine.
You've had yours.

And yesterday started out with the former and quickly turned into the latter.

First, I'd gotten a phone call from three recent graduates. They're the kind of students who, when they're in your ministry, make it easy for you to enjoy & love them. Even when they wander off the path a bit, they still let you know they care about you and you know you care about them. In a matter of days, college plans will begin to scatter them and it's highly likely I'll never have the chance to hang out with these three in one shot again (after spending three weeks in Holland on a mission trip with them, well, they tend to grow on you. And, that's after 6 years previous of them bouncing around your ministry.) They dropped everything to laugh at themselves and their somewhat goofy/foolish choices and the conversation ranged from the past to the now to the future...all in an hour. Because we knew we might not get another chance to sit at one table together for a few years, we preserved the moment in pictures (interestingly, they were hesitant to take the picture because, "We're all gross today."). Besides, if you don't Facebook it, it didn't happen:



Later in the day, I had to get downtown for a wedding rehearsal. There I got to sit with two former students who've been married a few years now. They were influential in starting our student ministry's "tone" and I've laughed with these two so much over the years. I've prayed for them as they embarked on their missionary year in Prague. I've visited them in their new hometown and we made plans to do it again soon. These are the kind of friends I've known for over a decade that, with him, we can just start quoting movies and crack each other up, and with her, we can go from the deepest of conversations to the silliest of mindsets (she almost killed me with a maraca during the rehearsal dinner toasts. Don't ask.) in a 20-minute span. This photo really is worth 1,000 words:



And this former student asked me to perform his wedding ceremony. He realizes he's marrying WAY over his head but it's so cool that somebody who you've enjoyed watching their spiritual growth after they left your ministry (and it was really noticeable growth when he was IN my ministry) wants you to be a small part of their day...and the reality that he's been so good at keeping in touch. He's the kind of guy that you might not see for six months, then he shows up and the conversation picks up right where it left off. Baseball, movie quotes & theology, usually in that order. I'm thrilled for him, even if it's an outdoor wedding in Texas in July. I'll sweat joyfully.



And, on the drive home...

...I was thankful for the reality that I'd gotten one of those "latter" days.

Full-time ministry can often have the best benefits package in the market...and, yes, I lead a charmed life.