Original Posting At http://faithramblings.com/okay-mark-me-present-please/
The other day I was asked ‘What do you think makes an effective ministry?’
The question made me think of a situation, which I share with my son’s permission 
Son #3 has struggled mightily with math his entire academic career – he has been formallydiagnosed as being dyscalculaic, so it’s an even larger struggle than just ‘not being good at math’.
In order to meet his college graduation requirements, he recently took an incredibly challenging math course.Fast forward to the final exam – Son is hovering in the high 60’s grade point average -70 is required to pass the course. He feels he has done poorly on the final.
With bated breath, he continues to check for final grades. Dejected, he comes to tell me he will be taking the course again – he has finished with a 69 average.
Only wait – it’s not over quite yet – an email goes out to the class – final grades are not yet final final – attendance has not been factored in yet!
We wait again. He knows his attendance is excellent – but could it possibly be enough to make the difference between pass or fail? The final final grade is posted – it’s a 70! He has passed!!!
We talk about what has happened and what lessons to take from this experience.
Showing up matters.
Showing up counts.
Showing up, in fact, can make all the difference between success and failure.
And in many ways, I think ministry is like this – showing up matters. Showing upmeans you are invested. Showing up means you care. Showing up means this is important.
And it’s not always about showing up for yourself. A wise pastor once said to me [paraphrasing] “Church is not always about you. The sermon will not always speak to you. The music will not always be your favorite. But sometimes church is about who needed to see you show up.”
Showing up can make all the difference.
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