JUGGLING THE MINISTERIAL ART
Keeping everything aloft is a tough act. Before long something is bound to drop.
John B. Aker
July 1, 1986
Caught up in the beauty of spring, I drove by Grover Cleveland Park on my way back to the church. That's when I saw the juggler. There's something about an impromptu exhibition of such dexterity, almost magically keeping those pins in the air, that causes you to pause. A small crowd of young people gathered, and even answering their questions, he never broke his concentration. He was fully absorbed in keeping those pins moving skillfully about him.
I've watched and talked with Don the juggler several times since. I've seen him pick up the strangest objects and immediately get them going in those same pure arcs-first one . . . then two . . . three . . .even four. Don, a self-taught juggler, insists modestly that it's easy. He began with balls, went to rings, and finally took on pins, the most difficult. Don claims you can learn quickly to juggle just three objects, but it becomes increasingly difficult when you have four or five. After years of juggling, he still fears breaking his focus, losing the rhythm, and dropping one. But Don has learned one thing: No matter how good you are, you'll drop one sooner or later.
Every minister encounters that maddening moment when ministry seems one great juggling act-so many things going on, and somehow we are responsible to keep them all in motion. We struggle to fix our focus and perfect our timing lest one of them drop. For many of us it is unthinkable to admit what Don readily acknowledges: You'll drop one sooner or later. You just can't keep them going forever.
The Pastoral Pins
Since meeting Don, I've tried to identify the pins we pastors must keep aloft. I've categorized the staggering number of day-to-day duties into four clusters: pastoral, prophetic, priestly, and professional.
The ...
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