Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

A couple of weeks ago, Kim and I were treated to the fanciest and most expensive restaurant we have ever been to. Some friends of ours gave us a gift card to a Michelin star restaurant right on Central Park south. At first, Kim and I wondered how in the world we could spend the amount of money on the gift card for one meal. Once we saw the menu we understood how!   That night we had a caprese salad that was made with burrata cheese and chunks of lobster. The garlic bread was topped with burrata and caviar. One pasta included shrimp and the other grilled octopus. Kim’s scallops and my halibut were cooked to perfection and served in a way that was far beyond what we had ever experienced. And I can’t even begin to describe the tiramisu. Best of all, one of the chefs was a young man who was part of the church we had pastored a few years ago in Queens. Chef Dan kept on sending out extras to our table such that, we ended up with close to twice as much food as we had actually ordered...

As most of you know, for so many years I was the senior pastor of the churches I served. That meant, one might say, “being in charge.” I was the one leading the services, leading staff, leadership, and board meetings. It meant setting the course and giving instructions, direction, and correction. Now, however, I find myself in a very different position.   It struck me the other day as I sat in a meeting for all the trainers at the gym where I have begun to work part-time. The training manager had called us together for our monthly meeting. Now I was on the other side listening to her give instructions, direction, and correction. She was the one setting the course. I was now in a place I had not been in for so many years. And I won’t say that it didn’t feel a little tough.  But can you imagine what would have happened if in that meeting I decided that I wanted to be the leader? Can you imagine what it would have been like if I had tried to take over the meeting and give my...