What if You (like me) Are Not REALLY Good at Anything?

 So, what if you are a College Minister and like me, you are not especially good at anything?

Some years ago, a pastor friend of mine and I had just heard a famous pastor speak at a meeting.  He had been terrific. Following it out in the hall, my friend said, "He could not pastor my church." He went on to describe his situation as pastor of an Arkansas county seat First Baptist Church.  I don't think he was bitter; I just think he was correct in describing his situation and what it took.  My pastor friend went on to say that he thought for many hearing the famous preacher talk about how his church was booming was more detrimental to most pastors than encouraging.  I get that.

I have  College Minister friends who are great speakers.  Another is a gifted athlete and goes to the gym and everybody wants to introduce themselves and be on his team.  Some play great music and sing.   A long time ago I bought a guitar.  I was told that with a little rhythm and three cords you could play anything.  But, the rhythm thing was not there and I was not especially adept at the three cords.  I had a handsome Associate once who would strum his guitar about once in a whole song....but there was that handsome thing. Most of us are not All-Stars.    

So, what are the majority of us supposed to do?

CONSISTENCY  is the answer!  Be where you say you will be.  Be on time for meetings.  When you tell a student that you will pray for them.  Pray for them and check back later to see how that issue is going.  They will appreciate that CONSISTENCY.

Show up for work every day...on time...and do what you came to do.  I was speaking for a workshop one time and the person introducing me said, "Our speaker has the gift of stating the obvious."  I was not sure how he meant it, but I decided I would take it as a compliment.  Somebody has to state the obvious...again and again, it seems.  Somebody has to do the obvious....again and again.

College ministry is hard every day work.  Students will let you down.  The school will schedule a big event at the same time as one of your events.  The weather gets in the way.  Tornadoes happen in the middle of your big worship event. What do you do?  You keep doing.  It is called CONSISTENCY.  People send students to a ministry because they know what will happen there....it is consistent.

How do you build a ministry?  You put one month on top of another and one year on top of another.  And, you keep stating the obvious....God loves you, forgives you, and wants to have a relationship with you.  That is called CONSISTENCY.

So, what if you, like me, are not really good at anything?  Keep being and doing what God called you to do.  It is called CONSISTENCY.

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."  I Corinthians 1:58

Arliss Dickerson's book, ALMOST EVERYTHING ABOUT COLLEGE MINISTRY, is available at amazon.com.