Sunday as we looked at our financial difficulties at Girdwood Chapel...as we discussed discipleship and giving and stewardship and building needs and work teams and benefits and pastoral compensation and...  Well, we covered a lot.

As we looked at all of this I wanted us to celebrate the wonderful, loving, world-changing, disciple-making things that we're involved in in this community and in the world.  And I wanted to remind them that, while our financial realities are important and can affect ministry, I didn't want it to define us.  I want persons to hear about the love of Christ first and foremost...and not our need for funds.  I don't like the pastor I become when the "trees" of our financial commitments obscure the "forest" of God's grace and love.

I don't want to be the church in the Naked Pastor cartoon above.