the nightstand is a collection of reflections on being part of and leading a missional apprenticeship community
Being before Doing: Lead with a Limp
“The true shepherd is one who walks with a limp. Vocation is not about hiding our wounds but letting Christ shine through them. When we stop measuring ourselves by performance and allow space for mess, the power of God is revealed in jars of clay.”
Being before Doing: Reciprocity and the Need to be Known
“Pastoral vocation is not possible without reciprocity. The most powerful truth I’ve come to understand is that I cannot be Christ to others unless I am also willing to receive Christ from them.”
Being before Doing: Suffering and Knowing
“The suffering of ministry cannot be eliminated without eliminating the knowing. To be a pastor is to walk into the pain, not around it. To bear with people, not just teach them.”
Being Before Doing: Performance or Presence
“Presence—real presence—doesn’t allow for a work-based hiding. Presence requires me to show up as a person, not just a pastor. It requires vulnerability, attention, and a kind of pastoral courage that says: ‘I’m here with you. I see you. And I’m willing to let you see me too.’”
Being Before Doing: A Pastor with a People
“A pastor cannot be a pastor without a people… Vocation begins with people, jobs begin with a task. We’re tempted to believe our calling is about what we do for people, but so much of the pastor’s vocation is about what we do with people.”
Being Before Doing: The gift of presence
“I wasn’t being ‘useful’ in any measurable way… What I was doing—though I couldn’t have named it then—was pastoring. I was simply present with students, walking with them, praying with them, paying attention to what God might be doing in their lives.”
