Rough and Ready

My dad always used to say to me that if something is worth doing, then it is worth doing well. He had a good point, but in some cases if we wait until everything is perfect before we do something then it may never get done at all. In the case of our faith if we wait until we are perfect before we start contributing to the work of the kingdom then we will never get going, indeed our study in James will explore the fact that perfection can only be achieved if we actually get on and do something; teaching that is diametrically opposed to my Dad's nugget of wisdom. 

I am sure we are all aware of the amount of effort that goes into a Sunday morning service, sometimes I get frustrated that there is always something else to do on a Sunday morning before I can  get on with the business in hand. This can often lead to some of us who are involved starting the service flustered, confused, agitated or even angry.....not a good place to be when  coming before God, especially when one is required to lead or teach others.

At the beginning of my ministry at Station Hill it was my intention to spend most of the morning before the service in meditation and prayer, and although I have managed to more time in prayer compared to previous years, my desire (and it is a desire, not a goal or objective but a heart-felt desire) for fervent, sustained, focused prayer for at least thirty minutes before the service is yet to be met. The evening services are supposed to be quite different, more relaxed, less formal. Yet the last two, despite being all these things, have been a little "rough and ready" particularly when it comes to organising the music. I was encouraged last night, not only by the number of people who attended, but also by the way people faced our disorganisation with humour and grace. Hopefully we will get into our stride and be a little more organised in the future, but without creating the organisational challenges that face is on Sunday mornings. Wouldn't it be so much easier if we could just turn up and it all worked? Yes, but I would rather find perfection through the works that I do, than strive for perfection before I do anything.