Spreading cheer, wherever he goes.

Pastor Neil Penner at a Kickoff Sunday event.

You know the type.  Hard working, eager to lend a hand, and full of enthusiasm to boot.  Rare, but not unheard of.  The kind of person to bring a smile into your day, when you thought nothing would.  Someone that would help a stranger, visit you in the hospital, or lend an ear when it was needed the most.  This only begins to describe Pastor Neil.

The thing that makes Pastor Neil stand out the most certainly isn't his height.  His stature is found in his love of God and his fellow man, and his wonderfully unique character.  Spend some time around him and you will find that his sense of humor is only outdone by his ability to listen with true empathy and care.  Devoted to ministry, he arrives early and throws himself into the career he felt he was led into.  Not just a desk jockey, Neil's many assets are spread around the church as he is involved in all aspects of building the body of Christ.

Anyone who has been around enough will recognize the challenges of balancing life.  The demands of work, family, self, friends, and the plight of others all vying for what sparse personal resources are available.  The three largest factors that one has to offer includes time, energy, and money.  All those demands fill our virtual bucket.  Once it is full there is nothing to offer others, nothing left for self.  It becomes about prioritizing; filling the bucket with the most important things first.  The "bucket list," as it were, is always changing.

This is important.  The word "No" is a tool that has to be used in order to facilitate the delicate balance of those resources.  No doesn't mean "I can't" or "I don't care," it means that my bucket is almost full and I have to save something for other areas.  Use everything up at work and there is nothing for home.  The reverse is also true.  Go beyond what you can, or should do and it is yourself that pays the toll.  Our bodies are only meant to take so much stress.  After that our systems start to fail.  Slowly at first, until we are so used up that there is nothing for anybody; the bucket may never recover.

No one likes to utter that two letter dismissive.  It brings guilt to bear and we feel that we have let others down.  It is this guilt that drives people into overdoing it, into pushing beyond what is reasonable.  Outside forces drive our actions, and sometimes there are just too many of them.

I say all this because I have great respect for Pastor Neil.  Without going into details, suffice it to say that he has faced many struggles throughout his life.  Yet, he is there for others; he is always cheerful, and always doing his best.  He looks for the balance, prays for the strength, and comes up with the resources when possible.  Thankfully, Pastor Neil has the ability to say, "No."  When you hear him utter this, remember that he has done so with his bucket in mind.  It brings an entirely new meaning to the phrase, "My cup runneth over."

My bucket is full; I would love to help but cannot at this moment.  Perhaps later.  Consider waiting or maybe ask someone else.  This does not mean I do not love you, it means I have responsibilities to others and am up to what I can manage.

Thank you Pastor Neil for all your help.  Your cup runneth over, in both ways.