Why Do You Do What You Do?
Andy - Pastor
As a storyteller, it is important for me to know why I do what I do. Through defining that for myself, I became increasingly interested in why the people around me do what they do. We all have reasons, we all have motivation that is unique and highly personal. This series explores why people do what they do. Why do you do what you do?
“Growing up, there were a few key men in my life who walked with me, prayed with me, encouraged me and held me accountable to things. And I just remember there was this point when God called me to do the same. And that’s the operative word: called. I believe that people tend to be restless until they do what God has called them to do. I talk with people all the time who aren’t happy with how their life is panning out. They feel like what they do doesn’t make a difference or has no lasting meaning or legacy. When I felt called to be a pastor, I knew I wanted to be for others what those men were for me. I do it because it was first modeled to me. And it’s made all the difference.”
“Most mornings I’m at work before the sun comes up. Nobody else is usually here for another three hours. A lot of what I do during that time is just having that quiet in the morning. Biblically I look at Jesus. He had this pattern of a lot of public ministry where He was constantly interacting with people. But in the early morning when it was still dark out, He removed himself.”
“I get here early to pray and spend time in the Word and prepare myself so that when I interact with these folks that are either grieving or joyful, whatever it is, that I’ve done due diligence with the Lord. Out of that time I spend with Him comes the ministry, and really nothing else. With life you gotta set time aside and be a good steward of it. But you also gotta know that when it comes to ministry, there’s always so many needs. Sometimes it seems like an insurmountable mountain. It’s hard man, dealing with people’s hearts. It’s really tough, and I can’t do it on my own.”
“There’s a lot of interesting dynamics to being a pastor. There are so many things to think through: everything from budgets to grieving families. And with that comes a deep sense of inadequacy. There’s too many things that I think I have to somehow fix myself, when really I can’t fix it anyway. I’m finding myself needing to say more and more, ‘God is the supplier of every need.’ It’s almost like the work of a farmer who has enough faith in the soil to say ‘if I plant the seed I know it will grow’. I just have to trust that my role is to plant the good seeds and know the Lord is the One who is going to take care of it.”
“I would say that wrestling with it for as long as I have, I believe the entire theme of the Bible is life. It’s about things coming into existence. It’s about the birthing of something. There’s an overwhelming sense of God making all things new. Over and over again we see things dying and becoming new again. Jesus coming and healing people. He even said, ‘I came so that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ Everything points to the fact that God is doing something that is not just here and temporary. He’s doing something eternally.”
“The most exciting part for me in everything I do is that God gave us all we need for right now on this earth. He’s laid out, for us to discover, everything we need to know. Where we came from, where we’re going and what His plan is for us. That’s the best part for me.”
