So yesterday Beth, the kids, and I went to the beach in the morning. After that we went to the pool to rinse the salt off. We got home in the afternoon and my grass was seriously in need of mowing. So, I put on my shoes and mowed the grass. I had been swimming all day and I didn't want to get another shirt dirty so I just mowed in the old swim trunks. The whole time I was thinking though, can a pastor mow the grass with his shirt off?
First of all, I would like to apologize for the mental picture of me mowing the grass without a shirt on. Secondly, I would like to state that I am not typically a shirt off mower and I am vehemently opposed to the old fat guys in my neighborhood with their shirts off and their pants in need of a draw-string or belt. However, I am a utilitarian type and I don't want to add to my wife's (or occasionally my) laundry load.
So, can a pastor mow the grass with his shirt off? I don't know why I felt weird doing this. I was at the beach with my shirt off and even ran into some people from church and I didn't feel weird. I go to the pool 3 or 4 times a week and see people from church and don't feel weird. But when mowing my grass...
I think I get a bit of a pass most of the time for things I do. Why? Because a lot of time people don't think of me as a pastor (which I'm okay with). I've never been Pastor Goff or Pastor TJ. While other younger and even less experienced people I have worked with have been Pastor (fill in the blank) I've always just been TJ or Earring Boy. I've been the Music Guy not the Worship Pastor. You get the picture.
The overarching question of this post is how human can your pastor be? Do you want to see them in real life? Really? Do you want to know that they argue with their wives and cuss at people while driving? Or, do you prefer that they maintain a "Holy Distance." Some pastors work very hard to project themselves as having it all together. Others may be a little too open. My filter works this way. I'm a regular dude. If you want to be my friend you get to know a lot; if you want to hang out, a little less; if you don't know me well...
I will never pretend to have it all together. I struggle as a husband, a father, a son, a "Pastor," a man, just like everyone else. Any pastor who says he doesn't struggles with lying. So, I will probably continue to parade around topless when the mood hits me so be warned. I usually mow the grass on Friday afternoons.
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First of all, I would like to apologize for the mental picture of me mowing the grass without a shirt on. Secondly, I would like to state that I am not typically a shirt off mower and I am vehemently opposed to the old fat guys in my neighborhood with their shirts off and their pants in need of a draw-string or belt. However, I am a utilitarian type and I don't want to add to my wife's (or occasionally my) laundry load.
So, can a pastor mow the grass with his shirt off? I don't know why I felt weird doing this. I was at the beach with my shirt off and even ran into some people from church and I didn't feel weird. I go to the pool 3 or 4 times a week and see people from church and don't feel weird. But when mowing my grass...
I think I get a bit of a pass most of the time for things I do. Why? Because a lot of time people don't think of me as a pastor (which I'm okay with). I've never been Pastor Goff or Pastor TJ. While other younger and even less experienced people I have worked with have been Pastor (fill in the blank) I've always just been TJ or Earring Boy. I've been the Music Guy not the Worship Pastor. You get the picture.
The overarching question of this post is how human can your pastor be? Do you want to see them in real life? Really? Do you want to know that they argue with their wives and cuss at people while driving? Or, do you prefer that they maintain a "Holy Distance." Some pastors work very hard to project themselves as having it all together. Others may be a little too open. My filter works this way. I'm a regular dude. If you want to be my friend you get to know a lot; if you want to hang out, a little less; if you don't know me well...
I will never pretend to have it all together. I struggle as a husband, a father, a son, a "Pastor," a man, just like everyone else. Any pastor who says he doesn't struggles with lying. So, I will probably continue to parade around topless when the mood hits me so be warned. I usually mow the grass on Friday afternoons.
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