The Hidden Mystery of Ministry
Now, to add to what I posted from Tim Bednar yesterday, here is something from Andrew Jones (via Phil's notes on a talk by Andrew as found by Darryl.)

He started off by reflecting on how the Kingdom of God is like yeast (Matthew 13:33). As yeast is worked throughout the dough the yeast cells divide, yet it's impact is what makes the bread rise and grow. This cell division is so small, microscopic, invisible to the human eye. For us, as members of God's church, must not our actions also be almost secret and meek rather than proud and showy, just as Jesus warns against in Matthew 16:6 - also talking about yeast.

So much of ministry by Christians actually occurs far away from the direct connection to the church. It is in the every day lives of the members living their faith without at times even realizing that they are doing God's ministry. Yeast- the invisible yet truly necessary ingredient for the bread of life. The mystery of ministry!

I'm not sure I would have understood this quite as well a year ago as I do today. A year in the world away from the church's "ministry" has given me a whole new perspective on what ministry can be. If it is only what the church does for the church and only what the clergy do for the laity (a very false dichotomy in my book) then we are in bigger trouble than it looks.

One more tidbit from that talk by Andrew Jones, a great definition of ministry:

1. giving gifts
2. telling stories
3. throwing parties
4. making friends