God can use you... even if you are different
God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah and said "Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the
nations" (Jeremiah 1:5).
Think about the words "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..." Before
Jeremiah was formed God knew him... God made him unique. And God has done the same
with us. God made each one of us unique. That means that we are all different. I know that
I certainly am. And because we are all different we need to be careful that we don't try to fit
everyone into our mold of what we think people should look like. This can happen with
ministers. Let me explain.
I like to laugh. There are few things I enjoy more than a good joke or laughing with friends
at a good story.
As I think about it, many of my favorite tv shows over the years have been shows that were funny.
For instance... Bob Newhart... The Cosby Show... Happy Days... Mork & Mindy (I know, these are old).
When I was a teen-ager I loved to listen to comedian Rich Little do his impersonations.
I love hearing Preachers that are funny. A couple of my favorites are Dennis Swanberg,
Charles Lowery and Junior Hill. Each uses humor very effectively.
I went into the ministry in 1981. When I did I became "Bro. Gregg." Instantaneously, I started
speaking old English. When I came into the house I said "Oh, dearest Mother. Would thou prepare me some biscuits?"
Lol
No.. I didn't do that.. I said "Momma, you got some biscuits?" She understood that. lol
But, I did notice that Preachers acted different from regular folks. And that bothered me. It really did. Actually, it scared me.
I'm not sure where this deal started.. I don't know if people expect preachers to act different, or if Preachers think we are holier than everyone else and we act different. I'm not sure but because we are ministers.. there are... unfortunately... different expectations.
I admit.. I've struggled with that. Oh, I tried to be different. I bought dark suits. If you are a minister, it's against the ministerial code of ethics to wear anything but dark suits. There is a verse in Leviticus that says something about it.
I tried to sound like a "preacher." But that didn't work.
I tried to say "JEEEEsus.." But I didn't feel comfortable with that either.
So, some time ago, me and Jesus had a meeting. It went something like this....
"Lord, this is ole Gregg... You know.. the dude from Potts road... Yeah... THAT Gregg.
I got a deal here. You see, I think, you may be calling me into the ministry. Lol. Yeah, I know.. I know I thought it was funny too.
You see, Lord... I still like sports. Yeah, I still get a little aggravated when LSU loses... What, Lord? Others do too? Ok, good, cause I was really feeling bad about that.
Lord, I'm not perfect either. I know I'm not.. What, Lord? No one else is either? Ok, good... I'm glad to hear that cause I'm definitely not perfect.
Lord, I like to laugh. What, Lord? If folks down here would look in the mirror, they would laugh too? "Yeah, that's a good one, Lord."
Lord, every now and then, I like to try something new. You know, break up the monotony. What. Lord? That's ok, too? Ok, good. Cause I like a little variety.
Ok so, Lord, you are saying you are good with everything I've discussed, right? Ok... and you still want me to tell people about you? Lord, you sure? I mean, I'm different.
Ok, Lord. Thanks. I will do the best I can.
What, Lord? That's all you ask? Ok, thanks Lord.
Now, I realize that there are called and gifted ministers who are more "traditional" in their approach to ministry and that's fine. That works for them. What we all need to be careful of is the "cookie cutter" approach to ministers. By that I mean, we need to be careful that don't have this "model" for ministers and everyone has to fit it cause... God made us all different.
For example, last fall Rick Stanley spoke in our church. Rick is a step-brother to the late Elvis Presley. Rick refers to himself as "the hippy preacher." Rick is not traditional. Now, his message is as conservative as anyone but he is different. The Lord uses him to reach people others would have difficulty reaching.
Several years ago, a man who was a former Harlem Globetrotter spoke in the church I was Pastor of at that time. He was different but, the Lord used him to reach people others would have difficulty reaching.
So, we are all different.. back to Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..." God knows you. You may think "but I'm different." That's ok; God made you that way.
What about you? Is God calling you into the ministry or to service in a local church? Doesn't matter if you are different. God made you and wants to use you.
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