Rest - the wedding guest continued...

… So we go home after the wedding service and we have a meeting in the kitchen away from the boys. This is a sharing of hearts moment. Deb is saying to me, ‘Look, Steve, I want to go. I want to meet people; I don’t want to be isolated. I need friendship.’ I’m saying, ‘Love, you realise that this is a work situation for me. When I walk in there it’s like video screens all around – this pastoral situation, that person – it just goes on and on’ It’s not a social experience for me – it’s a work experience. So we discuss the situation. It’s pretty painful. The discussion is open and frank but we decide to go. This is the Right Thing to Do.

We walk in. It’s 300 people at a buffet and everyone is milling around. We’re late and we’re trying to find some friends to sit with. At this point someone makes a bee-line for me. Deb is there, the boys have disappeared and this is how it goes.

‘You’re Steve Tibbert!’
‘Yes, I am.’
‘Ah. I need to talk to you about a particular church.’

And it’s something about a church elsewhere for which I have no responsibilities within Newfrontiers and the guy is offloading what he feels are the real issues and how he believes we’re not doing enough for this particular situation. Deb catches my eye. She dies a little. I die a little. She walks off to find some friends and I graciously serve this individual with his problem. Can anyone else relate to this?

So, when I speak about rest I’m speaking to myself as much as I’m speaking to anyone else. This is a continual challenge for me.