A pastor writes:

I wanted to share with you my experience on my "coffee-walk" yesterday.

When I began my walk, I must admit I was both excited and skeptical. Since becoming the Lead Pastor here in June (I was the Worship Pastor for three years before doing so), I’ve really begun to feel & experience the weight that comes with this ministry. And so I was hoping for some real "whisperings" from the Holy Spirit regarding this community. And so I began this walk with some expectations, while also not completely sure how I would hear the hearts & hurts of people, when I’d never really experienced that much.

And so I began my walk with a large, hot coffee (which I don’t drink by the way), and spent my time praying for the Holy Spirit to whisper. But I must admit, I didn’t hear much. I heard some whispers of loneliness and struggles for acceptance, but over all I didn’t sense a lot beyond my own realization that the reason I wasn’t was because I wasn’t spending time, listening in silence for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in my everyday walk. Instead, I realized that I tend to seek God’s face & guidance in between the busyness of moving forward. The main focus to simply get through my day or week with short little "commercial-breaks" for God scattered throughout my life. A brief prayer here and time spent in His Word for a few moments there. 

And while my life isn’t running out of control, and I have been at peace in my relationship & walk with God, I have to wonder if I am really where I could be or even where I need to be. When the Holy Spirit speaks, am I even aware of His voice? Does it even register on the horizon of my heart? How can I expect to hear the hurts & hearts of people I’ve never met, if I’m not in daily practice of listening to the hurts & hearts of the people I already know? How can I lead, if I’m not continuously seeking to truly be led?

I was reminded of a video clip on Sermonspice called "Got Service" where the main character puts on sunglasses and is able to see the needs of each person he encounters, and I realized that I can’t do that - or least not to the degree I would like to. And it frustrates me that I can’t hear - and I can’t because I haven’t taken the time to do it everyday. I’ve let the voice of the Spirit blend into the background, so that I excuse it or push it aside, thinking other things are more important and more godly.

So I want to thank you for the suggestion - a suggestion that has brought to light something I have been neglecting as a pastor. I pray that as I move forward I might seek, above & before anything in my life a spirit in tune with the Holy Spirit - a spirit that hears in the ordinary everyday aspects of my life, so that I will begin to gain a sensitive ear & heart to the unspoken needs in the world around me. I pray that the next time I do this "coffee-walk" that I might truly experience the silent voices of a hurting people crying out for somebody to care - for someone to point them to the Savior.

Thanks for the wake-up call.