By nature, I am not a patient person.  Having spent over 40 years in business, my career has led me to be task oriented and rather impatient.  Similar to a hunter, my background and personality have taught me to see an objective and plan and act to achieve the objective.

But, as I spend more time in ministry to men, I am becoming more and more aware of the patience of the farmer and the diligence of the shepherd.  
The first reference to farmers and shepherds is in Genesis.  Adam's sons Cain and Able were the first farmers and shepherds.  And of course, Jesus often spoke in terms that farmers and shepherds would understand.  Vine growers, sowers and reapers of wheat, laborers of the field, and of course the imagery of Himself as the Good Shepherd.

I look at my own faith journey and I realize how there have been men that planted the seed of my faith, and have cultivated my faith by sharing knowledge and experience.  There have been others who have served as shepherd. The shepherds have been those that have corrected my behavior, or who have coaxed me along a spiritual pathway. 

Ministry to men is really all about relationships and relationships take time.  It takes time for a seed to germinate and grow and the farmer must have the patience to see this through.  Once the seed of faith is planted within a person, the seed grows in time according to the individual personality, situation and experience.  A farmer has to know when to plant, when to water and when to fertilize for a crop to produce.  This takes patience and patience takes time and understanding.

Being a shepherd is all about relationship as well.  A shepherd must know the flock and the flock must trust him.  Trust is only built over time as the relationship is built.  A shepherd may know the path, but the flock must be willing to follow, and this only happens through trust.  The shepherd must be patient enough to allow trust to grow, and diligent enough to keep the flock on the path. 

In my own experience, I have learned that it is not my timetable that is important.  It is God’s timetable.  Each man will be touched and will move as he hears the call of the Spirit. Therefore I must learn to be patient. I must be patient and allow the spirit to touch those along my path.  I must also be diligent.  I must be ready at all times to plant a seed, provide a little water or fertilizer and some gentle guidance when I am called upon to do so.
Learning patience, diligence and relationship building is quite the challenge, but well worth the effort. 

Come join us as we build relationships with other men and learn the patience and diligence to do God’s work in our diocese.
If you want to learn more about our ministry to men, check out our website http://centexcatholic.com