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Spiritual Proctology...

Published Thursday, November 04, 2004 by Jason Retherford | E-mail this post

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Last weekend I was in Tulsa for a Group Magazine Youth Ministry training workshop. It was a great day of education, fellowship and fun. One of the activities that I was priveleged to be a part of was diagnosing some of our struggles as youth ministers we face with volunteers or parents and we overcome those obstacles. One of the issues we identified were some who were at times, anal retentive. Our diagnosis of this issue was for this person or persons to see the spiritual proctology for thier spiritual dingle-berries aka - hang-ups. Okay, I know the image is a little graphic, but I think you get the hint. All of us in ministry will deal with difficult people. How we respond to those who are upset at us, or just annoying is important. Think of the harm that is done when ministers let themselves get angry and let someone have it, when they could have offered to pray with so and so, instead of blasting them verbally. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that we can't get angry, just how we respond in intense moments is important. I think how we respond in these moments says something about our integrity as men of God. Differences of opinion, and conflict aren't bad things, we should always try to leave a conflicted situation having done all we can to promote reconciliation and building others up.

3 Responses to “Spiritual Proctology...”

  1. Blogger CL  on 11/08/2004 5:21 PM  

    Jason,

    Good stuff. The key here is making sure that you are personally not to your own limit. In other words, when I am feeling overstretched and frustrated it is usually because I am not allowing God to truly be in charge. So when I try and deal with (as Jeff Walling says) people's Holy Why's. I do it in the right state of mind. One fact that I know to be, is that people will always ask why and have their "issues." I just hope that mine don't come off in a way sometimes as others do, know what I mean?

  2. Blogger Jason Retherford  on 11/08/2004 10:23 PM  

    Chris,

    Yeah, I get what you are saying. I think that is what I was getting too. BTW, Jeff Walling rocks!

    Good thoughts Chris.

  3. Anonymous Anonymous  on 11/10/2004 2:01 PM  

    There is a time and place toe get angry but from experience I have failed more often then not. Verbally chewing out a small group leader for continuely missing meetings was probably justified but waiting till I was upset to confront was not. I wonder why he didn't want to pray with me afterward. Now blasting parents of a teenager who came to confront me after embrassing him after he ask a new kid to get out of his seat was more then justified. I told them I would do it again if he continued. They went to the Elders and the elders asked me to talk with them again, I said I would but would not back down. The sad part about it is they were friends of mine and though they never brought it up again anytime there boy went on a trip one of them came with us (helped with the sponsor problem though).

    On another note only Evangelism camp in Churches of Christ www.youthwave.org

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