I hope the world is treating you terribly today, that way you know Satan is mad at you. - How is that for a greeting... ** LOL **
Seriously I want to focus on a little thing that really has meant a lot to me over the last few years. That is mowing the church yard. Be warned I talk about lot about and to men in this post, but I do think that everyone can benefit from giving this a read. Also, before I begin, let me explain one more thing. My church handles the mowing / yard work around the church by having teams of 2 or 3 sign up to work. We are then assigned weeks (about 3 a year) when it is our responsibility to mow, trim, blow the parking lot and straighten around the church.
So, understand I am not crazy. and I am not volunteering to do it ever week, but I really have enjoyed getting to mow the church yard. Last year (2004) one of the things I enjoyed about mowing is that I got to see my former Sunday School teacher for a bit. Those times I spent with him really kept me excited about what was going on at church and give me a chance to find out what was really going on in my former teachers life. I say the last thing because we all know that we only give quick one line answers on Sunday AM, and evening, when people ask how we are. It really takes getting one on one for a bit to find out what is really going on in someone’s life. Unfortunately, my former Sunday School teacher has since stopped mowing the yard, but I did enjoy those times working with him on the church yard. I now send him emails or call to find out what is going on in his world.
In addition to the former teacher last year, for the last two years I shared mowed duties with a guy named Doug. Doug and I have known each other for a few years, but we have really grown closer over the last two years due to mowing together. A large part of this budding friendship is due to working side by side. This is even more true now that Doug has a child, another on the way, and is swamped at work.
My simple point is that mowing the church yard is enjoyable, not due to the work that is involved, but because of the relationships that develop and grow. Mowing has helped to build deeper bounds between myself and other men at the church. I have always found that men bond better by working together then we do by talking to each other. If deeper relationships with other men at church was the only thing I got from mowing the church yard then it would be extremely valuable and worthwhile.
Regarding my view of how men bond, I once heard a similar summary from a comedian that talked about how men were like dogs and bonded instantly with other men when they are together. He said that we will play basketball with a guy they just meet and act like they have known each other for 20 years, yet you never see women say - "Hey let's go shopping with that tall blond gal over there." I think this nature come from the nature of men. Men that are working together goes a long way in building relationships, and I think work and activity is vital for true male bonding to occur. Men become better friends, and grow together, when we are working instead of talking I guess is the point.
With that said, the other and more vital thing that mowing the church yard has done for me is it has allowed me to do something for the body that has instant results. Many times I seem to get involved in ministries that will have impact in years, decades to come. Some, like this web site and blog, I will not know about before heaven. So, I seem to routinely be working at things within the body of Christ that do have potentially great impact, but I do not personally get to see that impact normally. That is why I like to run the computer during worship (projecting the song lyrics and sermon notes) sometimes (again I do not want to do it ALL the time) and why I like mowing the yard. When I do those things like that, I immediately see God using me in the body. I know those are small things, but they encourage me.
I know I am crazy to view mowing as a instant result ministry, but it is. A mowed church yard is something that I can visibly say - "I did something and the result was better then it was before." It also demonstrates to the community that the church is part of the community. It shows that the church is going to be well maintained and nice where the community can be proud to have the church within it. It also goes a long way in making the church more inviting to visitors. These little things like mowing, and doing small short term / fill in ministries, are the very things that keep me working on the things that do not have quick or visible results.
So, I hope that today, or sometime soon, you are able to do something that has instant results in the body of Christ. I also hope that you, male or female, have a ministry or service opportunity that allows you to get to know other Christians in a deeper and more honest way. That building of deeper relationships will go a long way in the future to helping you survive this world. I hope that the combination of occasional instant results and deeper relationships between yourself and other members of the body helps to keep you working on things that will have long term impact as well. Yes, I know that our reward is in heaven, but we are still human. There are times we need to be encouraged where we will not lose hope or focus. We all need to see results from our labor sometimes, but we should never only work on things that are short term endeavors. I hope you have “a church mowing job” somewhere in your life that does for you what mowing the church yard does for me.
Stay dedicated, look for and to God, remain positive and keep your faith up.
