That will keep me busy and probably get me into trouble. The commute from Fort Worth to Irving has not gotten any shorter, but I am learning to fill the travel time. When I am in the car, I like listening to country music on the radio. A former pastor of mine, Chuck Poole, often included quotes in his sermons from country music artists referring to them as famous twentieth-century American poets. Not all country music is worthy of such praise, but as every faithful listener of country music knows, the lyrics of country songs have a way of connecting to the everyday lives of people revealing to them meaningful truths.
Some songs connect better than others and some reveal truths of greater meaning.
George Strait sings a song that says, If you can do anything else, do it, but if you can t, baby you can stay right here. The song has nothing to do with ministry, yet when I hear that song on the radio as I fight my way through the Metroplex traffic, the words speak a gentle truth about my call to ministry. I can t do anything else. Though at times I get discouraged and my prospects for the future do not always look bright, this is where I belong. I belong in ministry.