Many of you know my friend Luke Cooper.  He is a funny, funny dude.  He tells this story about visiting a friend back in college.  His friend’s roommate wanted Luke to tell funny stories, do impressions, and sing songs all weekend.  Finally, Luke got so tired and frustrated that he burst out with a classic, “I’m not your damn monkey!”

I have been in ministry for 8 years. Apparently over that time I have become a decent public speaker, can attract a decent crowd, and can hold their attention by yelling at them for 45 minutes (65 if I talk about Sex or Porn).  It is so easy to live out of this.  I become the Ministry Monkey who has to put on a good show and perform for people.  I have to be hard hitting, passionate, funny, put together, real, vulnerable, biblical.

I realize it is so easy for me to slip into this mindset.  I see ministry as a job I do, a task I perform, a constituency I have to keep happy.  I become the “damn monkey”.

So that leads us to today.  A pastor from another church asked me, “So aside from church and ministry, are you doing okay personally?”  And it hit me:  The two are not separate anymore.  I can honestly say that for the first time I feel like I am a part of a family!  I am not the monkey.  I am a brother who has been freed up to study, think, pray, and lead on the mission.

On Sunday I didn’t feel like I was up on stage.  Yes, I led.  Yes, I preached.  Yes, I was responsible.  But, no, I wasn’t the monkey.  I was part of the family.  It is absolutely thrilling the type of culture created when you have a community of people who are invested in the mission together.  You are not looking for a performance to consume.  Rather you are asking me to help lead in a mission.  And that makes all the difference.

So, from the bottom of my heart:  Thank you.  Thank you for the gift of loving me unconditionally.  Thank you for the encouragement.  Thank you for creating such a gospel-soaked culture that I can step up and lead without having to be the monkey.

I love you.
I love how we are family.
I love serving rather than performing.
I love the mission we have been called to.
And I love thinking about the adventure ahead of us.