Russell A. Cardwell Online

The Hiker and the Fog

by Russell Cardwell @ 12:11 am. Filed under Epiphanies, Life, The Journey. [add to del.icio.us]

Even when the way goes through
      Death Valley,
   I’m not afraid
      when you walk at my side.
   Your trusty shepherd’s crook
      makes me feel secure.

—Psalm 23:4

Afternoon was waning and the hiker was still far from her destination. The terrain had been rougher than she had expected, and she had been forced to make some detours to get past unexpected obstacles. Now it was getting late, and although she didn’t think she was lost, she knew she still had a long way to go. And from the looks of things, the terrain ahead grew even more rugged. This worried her especially because she was afraid of heights.

There was nothing for it but to do the best she could. She quickened her pace and began to pray. Within minutes, though, a thick fog settled in, obscuring her view. Soon, all she could see was the path a step or two ahead of her. “Great!” she thought, “I start praying and it gets worse! Now I can’t even see where I’m going.” But on she went.

Pacing herself, sometimes jogging, sometimes walking quickly, stumbling a few times, but never falling, praying loud and fervently for God’s protection, disappointed and a little resentful that God was not helping her, she went on, plunging headlong and blindly along a path she could but dimly see.

Just at twilight, the road leveled. And as the last glow faded in the western sky, the fog began to lift. Ahead, she saw the lights of civilization and the promise of welcome rest.

The next morning, looking back over the terrain she had crossed, she could see by the light of day that for the last leg of her journey her path had been along the edge of a deep gorge. The slightest mis-step would have sent her plummeting to her death. Had it not been for the fog, her fear of heights would have caused her to lose her footing and sent her over the edge, or would have paralyzed her and left her stranded in the wilderness to die of exposure.

He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified].

—Hebrews 13:5b-6

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Church Leadership Roles

by Russell Cardwell @ 12:02 am. Filed under Life, Rants. [add to del.icio.us]

I have begun a list of job descriptions for some of the leadership roles we have been studying in Church Government class:

Deacons—These are church members who never attend services unless they are called in advance and notified that they will be needed to serve communion. You need at least 80 of these to ensure that you will have 6 or 8 in attendance on Sunday morning. Otherwise you may have to call upon active churchgoers to serve in their place. This would be a great tragedy, because once you make deacons of them, you will not likely see them again.
Elders—These are church members who never miss a service and who hate the pastor, the youth minister, the music minister, the secretary, the church, and everyone in it. Their job is to hold regular secret meetings to exchange malicious gossip and character assassinate anyone who is not present, in the guise of prayer concerns.
Pastor—The pastor preaches sermons and presides over weddings and funerals. At all other times he should be careful to hide from other staff and church members, and especially from elders.
Bishop—A bishop is a pastor who has wrecked so many churches that he has been moved into a position where he can do no further damage. As bishop, the only potential harm he could now to is to pastors, who are adept at hiding anyway.
Youth Minister—In order to ensure that there can be no suspicion of impropriety, the youth minister should at all times avoid any association with persons under the age of 18.
Music Minister—the music minister’s task is to locate and select those songs which will be most offensive to the congregation and most tedious to those who must perform them. Under no circumstances shall musicians be allowed to play instruments which are in tune.
Secretary—Not really a leadership role, but a vital one, the secretary’s primary duty is to ensure that the pastor cannot be contacted by staff or church members, and especially by elders or bishops. The secretary also serves as central repository and distribution hub for malicious gossip to be used at elders meetings, in the guise of prayer concerns.