Slack-tastic lessons from the gym

I'm enjoying being back in the gym. I "took a few months off", but I am back in the game.

"It doesn't look like it", you say? Touche!

The gym that my friends and I work out in started out pretty decent. There are fewer of us now that go in the mornings because many of my friends have joined "Tough Academy" in hopes of being the caucasian version of Kimbo Slice.

As fun as it is going to the gym in the morning, the gym itself has become pretty disappointing. Here's a few short reasons why the gym in our neighborhood has set up residence in Slackville.

1. The person who checks everyone in at the welcome desk is conspicuously absent. Every day. This morning, while looking for a basketball, a co-worker found her "resting" in a dark office. (about 6am) Literally anyone can just walk into the gym. We joke about inviting all of our friends now because there is absolutely no accountability. (we won't)

2. Machines are often broken and left in disrepair. Treadmills, workout machines, bicycles, etc will have "out of order" signs (if one is actually placed on them) for weeks at a time.

3. Cleaning occurs at busy times. Employees vacuum as people work out, spray disinfectants and other things. Schedules aren't made with heavy gym traffic in mind.

4. Until two weeks ago, the "health bar" literally had cranberry sauce from last Thanksgiving in it's display window. No joke. We saw the week it was put in the case and realized when they removed it. The mold and the words "Happy Thanksgiving" written on the side were also a clear indication of it's age. The peanut butter is usually left open all night as well. Gew!

The gym I attend gives the clear impression they could care less if people show up. It's a gym by name, but it's standards are non-existent. There is a lack of excellence and the consumer is the lowest in priorities.

Ok. "Why the rant?" you ask. There's a great lesson in this for those who serve in ministry.

If the areas we serve in aren't managed well, students (in my context) will believe that we don't really care about their area. If we don't care about their area, why should they care about it? And surprisingly, if we don't care about their area and what concerns them, how much do I care about them?

*Are they greeted and made to feel welcome?
*Do our services reflect excellence and creativity? Do we just do the "same old thing" each week to get by?
*Do students understand that leaders love and care for them as individuals?

Let's take a lesson from the gym. Our work is far more important; our mission is much greater. God demands more from us than "getting by" or doing ministry for the sake of doing ministry. In the words of Pastor Rick Blackwood, "if you are in ministry for the paycheck, just get out and do something else."

The cranberry sauce is gone, but the gym has a long way to go. Let's work hard at making our areas all that God has for them.

By the way, tell our friends, the future MMA stars, we miss them at the "gym"!