We recently purchased a fire pit for our back yard.  It's basically a deep metal ring with a lip that's placed into the middle of a circle of built-up landscaping blocks.  It seemed simple enough that even I could build it.  And yet, as I was bolting together the parts that make up the ring, somehow I managed to hit myself in the face with the wrench!  As I lay on the ground with a small trickle of blood on my chin, I couldn't help but laugh at myself.  I'm so bad with tools that I couldn't even bolt together two pieces of metal without causing injury.

As I lay there trying to decide if I was going to tell my wife what had just happened, I thought about how few and far between my home improvement successes have been over the years, and I started to feel a little sorry for myself.  I just didn't inherit my dad's skill at fixing and building things and I was feeling pretty useless.  But then I realized that my dad may be much better at using tools than I am, but he's never preached a sermon or kept the attention of 15 confirmation students for an hour or steered a canoe or made a video, and that's the stuff I'm good at.

I think that often we're reluctant to offer our gifts and talents at Burke because we think that our particular gifts aren't needed or wanted.  But the truth is, we can use the particular gifts that God has given you!  We need people who can use tools without injury and we need people who can teach without fear.  We need people who are good with technology and people who are good with children.  We need people who can steer a committee.  The gifts you have were given to you for a reason, and part of that reason is because we need them!

But here's the thing. . . you know what your gifts are and we don't.  So we depend on you to let us know what you can do and to step up when you see the opportunity to use them.  That's what makes church work and that's what keeps things fresh and interesting at Burke!  So let us know what you're good at and we'll find a way to use your gifts!

Peace,

Paster Russ