News from the Interim Co-Executive PresbytersAt our Presbytery’s recent COLE event, this along with another passage from Galatians, was the devotional I shared. From this, I have developed a brief series of articles on this question: Will you pray for and seek to serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination and love”? (Directory of Worship W-4.0404 h)
Intelligence: “Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well.…For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?” (1 Kings 3:9 The Message) Often, when asked to serve, as a church officer, or on a Presbytery Committee, we use the excuse, “I don’t know enough about…” We have used it, we have heard it, Olivia had to say it to our oldest son when he was job hunting after college. That is where Intelligence comes into play as we live in this world, serving God with our gifts. Intelligence is defined as “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.” This means we don’t have to know everything when we begin serving in any capacity in the church or even as we begin a job. It means we just need to have the passion and opportunity to learn. In the scripture, Solomon asked for a God listening heart, and God was impressed and granted him Wisdom. Wisdom requires intelligences, for there is an intelligence of the brain and in intelligence of the heart. In our lives we have heard the term Intelligence Quotient, or IQ, and know we all have one. The IQ, has many different areas, and when we are tested, it measures our cognitive ability as compared to the general population. Once we are tested, our IQ doesn’t change. At the same time, there is Emotional Intelligence found through an Emotional Quotient, or EQ. Emotional Intelligence, what is measured by the EQ, encompasses the capacity to recognize your own emotions and those of others. It includes the ability to decipher between different feelings and label them accurately. Interestingly enough, our EI does change and grow as we age. This is how our miraculous bodies which God created work. The brain and the heart offer us our intelligences. It is simple neuroscience. As leaders in the church, we need to tap into our brains and our hearts to see the opportunities God places in our paths. To do this, to serve God with our hearts, souls, and minds, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we call upon our IQ and EQ and with God’s help we put them to good use. Our IQ gives us the curiosity to learn and explore; our EI gives us the ability to use what we learn to serve God with glory. These skills are what train us as servants in the church from the clerical and custodial to teachers, singers, chefs, care givers, and Officers, and this is what we agree to when we say in our ordination vows, we will serve with Intelligence. So how does this work? Simple answer: We use our intelligence, our brains and our hearts to offer compassion, care, love and hope to those whom we serve. This happens in and out of the church. What we learn inside our campuses about love, grace, forgiveness, hope, collaboration and unity, is what we take outside our doors. When we walk out our doors on Sundays, we walk into our communities to live what we are taught, to love all people, even those we do not like, to share the Word of God to all people. This isn’t easy work, actually, serving God with intelligence is challenging wherever we go. At the same time, it can be fun. As we use our intelligence in life, we open doors to new people, new ideas, new traditions; it opens us up to the curiosity of how others live in faith and embrace God in their lives. Using our intelligences opens us a fullness in our calling, in our sharing, in our doing, as Servants of a Living and Loving God. Peace, Hoover and Olivia |
APRIL 2025
Rev. Dr. Hoover & Rev. Olivia Haney
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