So last Saturday afternoon I took one look at the forecast for lots of snow and I was like, “I do not CARE, I am going OUT.” I washed my face — but not carefully — brushed my hair, got dressed in real clothes and decided to go for brunch at my local joint before embarking on my errands. My local joint is a marvelous little cafe just one block away where I sit at the counter and watch old movies and chat with folks because there’s always something there I know. Mildred’s is my “third place” and I love it dearly.
When I sat at the counter, the owner, Jan, introduced me to her friend who was also sitting at the counter. I had heard many lovely things about this lady so I was very happy to finally make her acquaintance. I soon found out that she had attended my church recently, which brought me from “Oh, how nice to meet my friend’s friend” to “Oh, a ministry moment!”
I have talked a lot on this blog about accepting that we’re public figures and to always be at least somewhat prepared to be seen that way wherever we go. But man, I was SO not taking my own advice that day, and I was SO aware of it. To my chagrin, my unpreparedness to be in a ministry moment actually distracted me, as I found myself wondering if I had any little crusties in the corner of my eye and if my hair only sort of obviously needed washing or TOTALLY obviously needed washing.
The fact is, I was gross and unkempt by my own standards and while that worked fine for my comfy, errand-runnig pre-snow storm Saturday agenda, it worked against my ability to be present in a confident and grounded way in pastoral, neighborly conversation with a member of my community.
And THAT’s why I myself should listen to PeaceBang. That pushy broad knows what she’s talking about.
I must disagree. Perhaps your new friend and potential parishioner liked it that you looked like a real person living a real life. I’m sure that your worst is better than some people’s best.