Leave 99...

In the Bible, Jesus tells a parable of how the shepherd would leave 99 sheep behind to find the one that wandered away.

And i feel that thought should be applied into ministry. But how much easier said than done it is. We have a group of college boys that have all the potential in the world. They would apply themselves more in church and into our ministry, but they don't want to seem weak (or whatever) in front of the others. They're waiting for one of them to make the move into becoming a serious Christian, then the rest will follow suit. But it's not going to happen. When they're alone, it'll be easier for them to open up, but when they're together, they just front.

So i decided it's time to go and actively "pursue" these guys, meaning, just hang out on a one-on-one basis and get to know them more and encourage them to come to the young adult service instead of the youth and to attend young adult bible studies.

When i saw the need to do this, i was surprised of how... inconvenient it all was. I honestly don't want to do it. I feel like i have too much other things that i need to do, like find a retreat site for our young adult summer retreat... (which is now getting more impossible) or like trying to figure out what to do for a mission trip this summer (and i'm running out of time). Not to mention the regular hustle and flow of church work. It just seems like i have million other things to do then try to reach out to a bunch of college boys.
How wrong is that?

In thinking like that, i forgot one of the most important part of being a pastor (at least for me): tending souls. Who cares if we don't get a site for the summer retreat? We'll improvise. If i don't get a mission trip planned, the church isn't going to fire me. But if i get one, just one of these boys to open up their hearts for Christ... that i feel is what God would want me to do...

On top of that, i can't help but think of times when i strayed away...

The image of the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the one has become more powerful to me, only because i realize how hard it really is... and how "inconvenient" in can seem to be. And it shows how much we are loved by our Creator.