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Ramblin' Dan
Dan Roloff is the editor of TheHighCalling.org, and his blog, Ramblin’ Dan, has a little bit of everything. At times, a theologian, philosopher, comedian, publisher, sports enthusiast, and businessman, Dan offers a transparent look at the high calling of one man’s work.
subscribe to this blog >Artists and Pastors
4.23.09
An Artists Retreat finishes up today at Laity Lodge. Actually, it's a retreat for those who pastor artists about how to do that more effectively. The visual artist Makoto Fujimura and arts pastor David Taylor made an outstanding team.
I was only able to be out at the retreat for a short period of time. But what struck me beyond the quality of the speakers was the quality of the guests. What I mean is that more than 85% of the guests were at Laity Lodge for the first time. When I arrived at the retreat, they'd been there about thirty hours. What I saw was a very comfortable group of people who were very warm in greeting and very comfortable in the setting. Moments after I arrived late for breakfast, L. L. Barkat came over to say, "Hi." This was our first face-to-face meeting, and it led to some delightful conversation.
Watching people talk to one another as they flowed in and out of groups at meals between sessions and during free-time was exciting to see. Many of these were engaging conversations filled with insight, humor, and grace.
One example is a converstion I had with Mark Philpot. At one point, I brought up arrogance as something that I've been reflecting on lately. Two things that can really irritate me are arrogance and pretense. But I was wondering if there is any advantage to arrogance. This was met with curiosity. I tried to explain that I was thinking that perhaps a truly knowledgeable person who came across as arrogant might actually have a right to be arrogant. Mark responded that arrogance denies grace. An arrogant person doesn't recognize that it is God's grace that makes their knowledge possible. Arrogance points to the person. Humility points to God. God's grace is recognized through humility.
READER'S COMMENTS
I have been interacting lately with some very arrogant people. I tried, like you, to think that maybe they are just so brilliant that they have the right to be arrogant. As much as I tried to make it seem ok, it just did not sit right. I realized it has to be coming from pride or fear and neither of those are ok. I'm trying to have grace with these folks so that I myself am not so arrogant to think that I always act in the most humble of ways.
I'm thinking 'confidence' is probably a better goal. It still allows the grace Mark mentioned.
Confidence is certainly a better option. I struggle with meeting arrogance with judgment. Neither arrogance or judgment are attractive to me.
Thanks for your insights, Michele, They're helpful.
Dan - sounds like a wonderful retreat...I'd like to attend one at the LL sometime. I like your comments about arrogance. Mark Philpot is right - arrogance fails to recognize that what we have, we have received from God. Doesn't Paul write "What do you have that you did not receive... and if you have received it, why do act as if you did not receive it."... generous dose of on the fly paraphrasing from me but you get the point, I hope.
Keep up all your good work with High Calling
Thanks for the encouragement, Andre. We would love to have you come to LL sometime. And thanks for the Paul quote from 1 Corinthians 4:7.
Retreat sounds wonderful, although I've just started to tip my toes into "High Calling Blogs" activity online, it seems unlikely I'll be retreating too soon.
I agree that arrogance can be such a turnoff for a new acquaintance or audience ; but often a child of God, who has been given the gift of wisdom, of teaching, of writing can still convey God's love to others through those skills. Their arrogance may mask their own shyness but God gives them the grace to overcome that trait and gift the rest of the world in spite of the fact they may be rejected for their own inability to forgo the arrogance trait.
those who do recognize God's grace as THE gift that allows them to house their intelligence, their forthrightness, their
I hope you can make it to a retreat at Laity Lodge sometime. But we're working to see if we can provide a virtual retreat online. The most difficult part is replicating the senses of holiness that one experiences in the canyon.
I was hurt deeply by a pastor at a church where I worked for several years. I had worked under two prior pastors; he was the third. I sensed a problem on day one. Unfortunately, at a time when I was experiencing great turmoil in my life (personal sickness, consequent financial difficulty and death of a loved one) I was meant one morning (The Monday after Easter Sunday when the message was ...Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus...) with an extremely harsh remark when he entered the office. That was that. The words of pain flew from my mouth. "Maybe I should give you my two-weeks notice." and his sharp reply, "PUT it in writing!" as he marched down the hall to his office. It didn't end there.. I marched to his office and through sobbs, I told him, "You have not shown one bit of compassion towards me and that hurts beyond words." There was so much more that happened inbetween. He never changed his demeanor and I left the church. The church where my husband and I had served for 15 years. We've never reconcilled. It has changed our lives forever in so many, many ways.
Being hurt by a pastor can be especially painful. My own experience is that we often project unrealistic expectations on pastors and want them to fit our idealized model. They are just as broken as the rest of us. Once I accepted that brokeness it made it much easier to forgive.
Ramblin' Dan, I thought my story "about being hurt by a pastor" had not been posted but it had. (Sorry, just getting used to this forum.) Now that I see that it was posted and I read your response ---thank you very much for your words of wisdom! You are right, I did expect a different model (one that would not respond in anger but rather with love and compassion.) Maybe, my expectations were "unrealistic". Your words, especially: "they are just as broken as the rest of us" will help me through the healing and forgiving process, and that's what I truly want--healing and total forgiveness in my heart. I sometimes wonder if he is ever troubled over what happened and what he may be thinking. There are days when I imagine myself going to him (et al. involved) and what I might say... but, my heart says--I just can't! So I keep praying and asking for God to help me find the way. Whatever that may be. I want to do God's will. I pray for His strength to do just that. Thank you for listening. Sharon