I really appreciate Tom's bulletin two weeks ago. Not only that he wrote it on such short notice, but that he gave me quite the segue into this one. There are many, many things that tie neatly into a bulletin topic but few so well as a good dose of teasing, which he happily gave me!

If you didn't read Tom's article, he wrote how I had, quite without knowing, tricked him into writing a bulletin. Somehow I had touched on his inner guilt and gave him motivation to take me up on the opportunity I provided him. The result was a fine point, well thought out, and something that benefited us all. I think just about everyone has a few dozen good bulletins. One of these days, maybe I will write a good one myself but until then it's great when someone else shares a thought that has a spiritual lesson and that's why I appreciate Tom's effort, which was superb.

As a deacon, I am your servant. In a very real way, that makes you my master. That's how that whole servant thing works, after all. It hardly means I am weak or helpless in some way - no, if I am to be a good servant to you I must be strong. As your servant, I am not simply here to work for you, as if it were that simple, while you do nothing. I am not that kind of a servant. I am here to motivate you and encourage you, and yes even to care for you. A good servant does what is best for his master, and that may mean exercising your brain to consider God's word. It may also mean helping you to grow, and that means doing what I can to provide you with opportunities for you to serve God. I don't mean to trick you, but if that's what it takes I'd do it. I'm not above shaming someone into writing, nor am I afraid of triple-dog-daring you!

Perhaps you feel this is not exactly servant-like behavior? Maybe you should consider these examples of servants in the bible. Moses was certainly the servant of God, yet when God was about to destroy all the people and start over with just Moses, he reminded God that the heathens would hear of it and mock God. Why would Moses say something like that? Consider the servants of Naaman, who calmly pointed out that he was prepared to do some huge task, but why not a little one, to be cured of leprosy? Or Nathan, who had to stand before his king David and declare "Thou are the man!" Or Paul, who happily worked and paid his own way as he preached and taught, so none would have occasion to accuse him (and pointed it out to the brethren, ever think about what his reasons were for doing that?) Or Jesus, our savior, who served us in so many ways. We laugh when we read how he put the lawyers to shame, yet why? Because he was so powerful and smart and mighty? No, because he wanted them to repent! When he looked at Peter as the cock crew, what did his look convey? Sometimes he taught with authority, other times he reasoned, and yes he did plead and goad and do many things to many people, to help them. With Jesus, it was all about us and none about him. What an example of a perfect servant!

So yes, I motivate you all to better yourselves in a spiritual manner. I might goad, reason, or even plead with you. I might invoke a little guilt, or let your own pride cause you to do something good by challenging you. I know, after all, that it's not about me and how many people I manage to "trick" into writing an article. It's all about you. A good servant is satisfied with his master's success, and seeks that as his goal. So the next time I try to get you to write a bulletin, remember it's for your own good!

(and if I have to stand behind you with my staff raised up until you're done, I would gladly do that, too!)

Randy