so what did you do today?
     Not long ago I finished a very busy day and before going to bed had the realization that I couldn't point to one thing that I had done that could be considered an effort in advancing the Kingdom of God. Ever have one of those days? You respond to emails, do administration, scheduling, help sort out complaints, or attend a meeting where no conclusions or consensus is reached. I suppose some of that can be considered some of the tough work of the Kingdom. But it raises a larger question. How much of our time is focused on church "administrivia" as opposed to doing ministry?

     I think one of the default modes of most ministry, especially long term ministry, is that we can slip into the maintenance of programs or spend all of our time planning and not really getting our hands dirty with ministry to the poor, the widows, the uneducated, or those who have never heard the Good News. We sometimes confuse church work and Kingdom work. Too many church goers have developed a "bunker mentality" where their friends, their activities, and their social life is centered at the church and they've lost their heart for those outside. It's so easy to do.

     It is helpful, and sometimes painful, to do an audit of how we spend our time. Do we spend more time in meetings than ministry? Do we spend more time studying the Bible than living it? Do we pray for the poor but never collect food or clothing for them? Do we have all of our friends at the church and wonder why new people don't show up at our door? If we find ourselves guilty, regret is not the answer, turning the corner is. One addition to our day, one behavior outside of our routine that focuses on speaking to someone, caring for someone, sharing with someone in the name of Jesus moves us to kingdom building.