Ministry

Here is the definition of "ministry" according to Webster...

Main Entry: min·is·try
Pronunciation: \ˈmi-nə-strē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural min·is·tries
Date: 14th century
1 : ministration
2 : the office, duties, or functions of a minister
3 : the body of ministers of religion : clergy
4 : a person or thing through which something is accomplished : agency, instrumentality
5 : the period of service or office of a minister or ministry
6 often capitalized a : the body of ministers governing a nation or state from which a smaller cabinet is sometimes selected b : the group of ministers constituting a cabinet
7 a : a government department presided over by a minister b : the building in which the business of a ministry is transacted

I have spent much of the last few days thinking about that word and what it actually means. I thought Webster might be a good place to start. I think it is a pretty lousy, at best incomplete, definition. It seems to me that ministry is way more than how Webster defines it. Well, at least it is in our world.
I am finding out, or rather being reminded, that ministry is anything God calls you to do. Sometimes it is things you want to do. Or things you are good at. Other times they are silly things. Or hard things. Or things that make no sense, at least for now. It is an open ended job description. There is fine print at the bottom that reads "...and other things deemed necessary by the boss".
This is one look at ministry this past week...

Five guys covered in drywall dust! Pastor Bill is in the yellow shirt. In person he looked a lot like the ghost of Christmas past, lol. They have been working on a renovation project at church, creating one large room for the kids ministry. It started in April and is finally nearing completion. Sometimes ministry includes blowing drywall dust out of your nose or standing in a 3' ditch laying pipe.
Sometimes ministry is traveling 7 hours with a van full of teens to Lake Placid for a camping weekend. Greg and 18 other teens and adults pulled out of the church parking lot this afternoon bound for a weekend of fun and fellowship. (yes, that means I am home alone but I have a to do list longer than there are hours in the day)
Maybe asking "what is ministry?" is the wrong question. Perhaps instead I should be asking "am I willing to do what God calls me to do?". Or "am I willing to go where God wants me to go?".

Have a great weekend!