Maybe I was a bit too rough on him

Posted on by Rob Singleton

I was looking over my words on Steven’s blog (via the blog swap we did for today).

I wonder if I was a bit too rough on’em.

I mean, the hot coals and the broken glass stuff is pretty standard, but Steven was so persistent it warranted drastic measures…

Review:

Deanna (my ministry assistant): “A guy named Steven Furtick called. He’s planting a church and would love to grab lunch with you sometime…soon.”

Pastor Rob (me): “Did you test him? Run him through the gauntlet?”

Deanna: “Yes, but he keeps calling anyway.”

Rob: “Hot coals?”

Deanna: “Check.”

Rob: “Broken glass?”

Deanna: “Check.”

Now the part you didn’t see…

Rob: “How about the 3 days in Death Valley, CA. with a leaky canteen 1/3 full of salt water, poisonous mushrooms to eat and a secret survival kit (not to be opened until the 11th hour of the 3rd day) containing 10 live scorpions?”

 

Deanna: “Uh, no. I’ve never even heard of that one?”

 

Rob: “Just do it. If he survives that, he just might survive church planting and might even be ‘called to it.’”

 

Guess what?

 

He survived.

 

Ate the scorpions and drank his own urine.

 

Oh lighten up. It’s a joke!

 

He never ate the scorpions.

 

Steven and I talked this morning. He told me he laughed his head off when he read that.

I told him I’d mentioned to his ministry assistant, Lori, that she could leave it off if it was too edgy.

But I never promised that I would leave it off.

I love edgy!

What was my point?

If you’re called to ministry, you will not be content doing anything else. You will fight for it. You will endure sleepless nights, low (or no) pay, slow growth (Steven and Elevation skipped that part — come to think of it, so did we), sheep who bite, control freaks, self proclaimed prophets who seem to have a constant vision from God for your life, and anything and everything else Satan can think to throw at you.

And the more successful you are at taking territory from the evil one, the more he ratchets up the attacks on you and your family and the church as a whole.

So…What do ya think?

Sound like fun?

I didn’t think so.

So think long and hard before you enter a life of ministry.

And then pray 10X harder.

You may be better off in the end opting for the scorpions and—

well, you know.