The Power of the Auto-Signature

The words on this blog are about to start gushing forth. Many of you knew Tiffany or knew of her. Many of you know that she died this week following a brutal, hard fought battle with cancer. She was 24. Many of you know that, as her pastor and as one who loves her and her family, I've been working hard to process it all...I've been working hard to balance "doing my job" with grieving. I'm going to write about it. I'm going to write about my tears and make-up stained suit coat. I'm going to write about Jean and Cindy who waited for me in the parking lot yesterday (funeral service day) to simply love me and encourage me. I'm going to write about a text message I sent to Tiffany's husband this past Monday morning at 11:46 a.m. I'm going to write about standing in Tiffany's room at Budd Terrace Hospice - hanging on by a thread - and being so moved by the reminder that "God Loves Us" as I stared at a hand-made card created by a 3rd grader with those three simple words colored on it. I'm going to write about it all...but not today.

I was encouraged today by...of all things...an "auto-signature." You know, that little e-mail tool we have which automatically appears with each e-mail we send. It usually has our name, title, and contact information. We don't think too much about it normally. We set it up and then forget it.

Perhaps we should be more intentional with it. It is, after all, our electronic identifier. If I were my 20 year old son, I might choose the words that appear on a hat of his that read, "Girls love me...Fish fear me." Or if I were my 17 year old football playing son, I might simply choose, "#7" as my auto-signature.

Jim is a colleague of mine. He is an extraordinary minister whose particular expertise is working with students. Ordinarily, his auto-signature would read, "Minister TO Students" or "Minister OF Youth." Jim did not choose "TO" or "OF" as his identifier. Rather he chose, "Minister WITH Youth." He chooses not to be "over" them as their leader. He chooses not to be completely "under" them as their servant leader. He chooses to be alongside them...as a fellow minister...as they minister to each other and to the world.

If there is anything I've learned in the past few weeks...and this week in particular...it is the power of the word "with."

As soon as I can remember how to change my auto-signature...I'm gonna do it. In the meantime, I am with you...alongside you...and will be forever grateful that YOU are WITH me. God's peace everybody.