Some of my thinking is changing.  I guess, since none of us are perfect, we should all have a continual progression of thinking.

Maybe it’s a little thing, or a big thing.

We say this in church, but do we ever question it?  We address our time of worship and ascribe to it the purpose of ‘preparing our hearts to receive the Word’.  It struck me today.  "Wait a minute!  We worship God to worship God.  It is not a device of mental preparation." 

I’m not going to totally discount the value that worship might have for me personally.  The value is a reality, however, I’m not going to focus on it.  My motivation for worship should never be, in any way, personally beneficial.  Allow that to be a side issue.  Priority number one:  God is worshipped because God should be worshipped.

As  I continued to think about it, I found the opposite to bear more truth.  Learning the Word should prepare our hearts to worship.  That sounds way more appropriate to me.

This is what I’m thinking about right now.

Our fellowship has some good strengths. I took a survey. Most of the people say that we are strong in: Teaching, Worship and Fellowship. Those are really good things.

We are weak in Leadership, Discipleship and Serving/Evangelism. That’s bad.

My biggest lesson of 09 is: “Invest in your strengths”. We are going to invest in our strength of Teaching, to be more intentional about discipleship, in order to raise up more leaders, who will in turn enable us to be a serving church again. Why? I want to serve better. -I’m starting, by giving the Bible the boot. (well, in part) I’ve been teaching the Bible for 10 years 2-3 times a week. I’m beginning to challenge my ingrained notions of Calvary Chapel idealism. It’s been a hard conclusion to come to… but I’m there. Teaching the Bible isn’t Enough.

I want to serve better. To do that, I’m going to stop teaching the Bible… (gasp) – in part. This plan does include an opportunity for me to invest more richly in the verse by verse expositions that will continue on Sunday mornings. Any Souther California CC cop who stops in for a Sunday morning judgment visit will indeed, still find us teaching verse by verse.

Have I mentioned that I want to serve better? I’ve concluded, that teaching the Bible does not equal discipleship. I have learned in the Bible that I am called to make disciples. Teaching the Bible does produce a few self-made disciple types… but these are few and far between. I would wager that many of us who are in ministry right now are probably the ’self-made’ disciple types. I am. No one really discipled me (that is, with purpose and intent).

Our midweeks are going to change. Instead of telling folks: “This is the Bible. This is what it means. This is how you should apply it to your life. Ok Goodbye!”, we are going to be more intentional about leading folks through the maze of discovering how to receive, infuse and live the perpetual goodness of Biblical truth. We’re going to start out with two levels of discipleship. Everyone who goes through the first level, can then, move onto the next level. For those who complete the next level, I am goin to be developing more in-depth studies based on the 10 topics that we will be covering in 2nd level.

I’m going to be infusing a quarterly family night to emphasize the need for rich fellowship. I’m going to spring occassional ’service’ opportunities… where, instead of having a class, we are all goin to work together to fill food boxes for the poor, or write letters to prisoners, or fill out invitations to the Christmas Eve service.. or.. whatever-

We used to have a strong core of leaders. We also planted 6 churches. Now we’re not that impressive. We don’t get out in the community but once a month. We need to raise up leaders. We’re goin to do this by not teaching the Bible (as much). Please pray that we see fruit.

Most folks in the church don’t really understand what is meant by ‘vision’.  Very simply stated, vision is the act of seeing.  If you can open your eyes and see the; walls, windows and humans around you, you have vision.  If you open your eyes and see Bigfoot in a tu tu, then you don’t have vision.

The easy part of vision involves seeing what ‘is’.

The hard part of vision involves seeing what ‘is yet to be’.

The hard part of vision can be broken down into two segments.  1.-  Walt Disney Vision  2.- Nehemiah Vision

Walt Disney died nearly 5 years before the doors of Disney Land (Florida) opened up.  On that momentous day, one guy said to the other, “I wish Walt could have seen this.”, to which the other one replied, “He already did.”  Walt Disney Vision is developed through personal drive, imagination and great intellect.

Nehemiah Vision is quite different.  As a man living quite some distance away from Jerusalem, he had never seen the ruinous state that of its walls.  And yet, even still, God enabled Nehemiah to see the city in its restored state.  This wasn’t a matter of; personal drive, imagination or great intellect.  God intentionally and purposfully planted this vision in Nehemiah’s heart.

Sometimes we have combined vision.  If you’ve ever read my vision for Overflow, you have read a Nehemiah Disney Vision.  I’m certain that God was in the formation of that idea.  I’m also certain that I was in it.  Someday, God might let this ministry happen.  Right now, the light is undoubtedly red.

I regularly read books that are focused on leadership and ministry.  I’ve processed several John Maxwell books.  He wrote some of them.  Others were written by well intentioned pastors who reprocessed John Maxwell’s material and re-released it.  I’ve also read several books on how to organize the direction of the church.  I’ve read: The Purpose Driven Church, Simple Church, and The Spirit Driven Church (plus others that didn’t end with the word ‘church’ which would have messed up the flow of my list),- and found a common message.

Keep The Vision Simple

Continually Re-Communicate the Vision

Start, Endorse and Support Those Ministries which Obviously Fulfill The Vision

Shut Down the Ministries that Don’t Support the Vision

In the book, The Spirit Driven Church, the author was so bold as to call these unsupporting ministries, IDOLS.  Yikes!  That’s a harsh accusation, and yet I see the truth in it.  How many times do we start up and/or perpetuate a ministry simply because it has become someone’s personal pet project?  Are there things we do every year simply because it’s something that we’ve always done every year?  Are there ministries that we attempt to perpetuate for the simple sake of ‘not offending’ or ’saving face’?   I would bet that most of us would look at our churches and say, “Yes”.

I get frustrated with lots of doing.  Experience has shown me that ‘more ministry’ doesn’t work.  When these books tell me to keep the focus and the vision simple, and shut down everything that doesn’t line up with that focus and vision, I relate.  We have been the church that does everything.  Often times these ministries start out with with an excited group of people and dwindle down to either an insufficient number of worn out devotees or ‘1 man shows’.   We maintain them in guilt, perpetuate them in weariness and feel bad because we’re not excited anymore.  Do good things happen in these ministries?  Absolutely.  Does need and the potential for good fruit constitute our call to take on or continue a ministry?  Nope.

Currently, we have a pretty simple vision statement.  “To become a people: abandoned in worship, common in faith and useful for the Kingdom of God” Or, more simply stated: “Worship, Grow, Serve!”  This really sounds good.  This does not really sound specific.  We could have: a dog washing ministry, a Hebrew poetry class and interpretive yoga worship and still fit them easily within our vision statement.

I always want us to be a fellowship that; worships, grows and serves.  These are things that Christians do.  If we don’t do them, I would question our Christianity.  But, these things are too nonspecific to claim as our personal and unique vision and direction.  There needs to be something else.

Yes, I’m going to leave you hanging.  I’m still on the … voyage.  (I would have said ‘journey’ but it’s overused and abused and much too trendy of a word for me.)  I have a pretty good idea where I’m going on this … voyage.  I’ve been doing research, thinking, praying, reading and collecting input.  Without actually defining it (that’s the part I’m still working on), I can sum up the vision and direction of CCCville by getting a clear picture of who CCCville is.

What are we doing?  What are we doing that works?  Where do we excel?  Where are we productive?  -Things like: teaching, equipping, educating, preparing and training come to mind.

Doing ‘less things’ comes to mind.

Doing ‘more things’ produces extra stomach acid.

We’ve often put a lot of focus on the ‘doing’ in our fellowship.  I strongly believe the we need to put more focus on the ‘training’.  Just as trained warriors fight better, so also, do trained Christians serve better.

If you attend CCCville and haven’t given your input:  click here

]]> http://chadmyhre.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/summing-up-vision/feed/ 2 chadmyhre http://chadmyhre.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/not-this-time/ http://chadmyhre.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/not-this-time/#comments Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:45:38 +0000 chadmyhre http://chadmyhre.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/not-this-time/ ]]>

Gustav is not hitting at a 3 or greater East of the Mississippi.  That takes it a little bit out of our target.  Pray for the people of Texas.  We’re watching Hannah…  and the other storms that are stacked up behind her.

Send Letters here before and up to July 12th

Field Address:
Teen Missions Team 08016
Dylan Myhre
PO Box 93
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CAMBODIA

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TMI Team 08016
Dylan Myhre
Desa Namomirik
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INDONESIA 203454

… the witch hunt is on.  That’s what Ojo Taylor said on his solo album Relative.  What was he talking about?  I’ll be honest with you.  I can’t remember.  But, if I had put those lyrics in a song, it would be a sarcastic reference to the witch hunt trials that many of today’s “discernment ministries” (I use the term “ministry” loosely) are conducting.

I’m not going to totally discount the validity and value of such ministries.  There might be some that are careful.  There might be some that are truly “discerning”. For some people, it works.  There are people who, because of past “cult” experience, are extra sensitive towards anything that slightly resembles a cult-like attribute.  Some people are “so” incredibly sensitive to these matters, that they start seeing things that aren’t really there.   Their assumptions and impressions stretch into demonic definition that sometimes defies (in my speculative opinion) rational.

Maybe I’m wired differently.  Maybe I’m more prone to search things out for the good and profitable.   Maybe I’m digging through the trash looking for treasure.  Certainly our personalities play into it.  Some folks are more prone to dig through the treasure in search of the trash.

What is true discernment anyway?  Isn’t it a gift of the Holy Spirit that enables one to miraculously know the secret intentions of another?  Isn’t it an ability to sense that something is either “right” or “wrong”?  If so, here’s my quandary.  The discernment ministries are dissing: The Shack, Rick Warren, Greg Laurie and All things “Emergent”.  I find myself in an increasing majority of pastors who don’t discern problems in these areas.  There are some who utilize the “emergent” philosophy of ministry that are un-Biblical.  That doesn’t make the entire philosophy wrong.  There are some elements of “The Shack”, if taken out of context and looked at in part, that will come off as being strange.  But in its entirety, the book speaks truth concerning the nature of God in a way I’ve never seen outside of the scriptures.  Rick Warren?  Did he quote someone he shouldn’t have?  Did he stand on a stage next to a heathen?  So what?  And Greg?  Well, you know- guilt by association.

If these discernment ministries are walking in a gift of the Holy Spirit, then I join myself with many of my peers who are unfortunately out of touch with the Holy Spirit.    At the same time, some of these finger pointers are claiming an association with MY fellowship of churches.  I for one, love these brothers and sisters who are in Jesus, however, I don’t like them.  I don’t want to align with them.  I don’t want the identity of my fellowship to be lined up with the malicious, condemning and defaming actions of those on the perpetual Witch Hunt.

If they are officially part of us, I want to know.

If we are officially part of them, I want to know.

point your finger at me, I’ll bite it off.

-Pat Nobody

I’ve spent the last 10 months or so on a fiction binge.  I’ve been devouring Fantasy, Science Fiction and Western books like a box of donuts.  I was especially addicted to the books written by Robin Hobb.  Every book developed an excitement within me to read the next one.  The most recent book that she released was still in hardcover.  I bought it, read it, and set it down, reckoning the whole experience disappointing.  The last book stunk.  I’m glad it stunk.  I’m actually excited that it stunk.  My addiction was broken.  It was not only disappointing, it was glorious.

So, what to read next?  I’m already reading stuff that is not profitable.  Might as well take it up a notch and read something that could possibly be, moderately profitable.  There’s been a lot of discussion lately around the books:  The Shack, Velvet Elvis and even Blue Like Jazz (which has been out for quite some time now).  I decided to read these. A lot of pastors are abandoning the the hermeneutics and exegesis that they use in their study of the Bible to, in reference to these books, pronounce heresy.  These are the kind of things that bother me.

• Taking someone else’s word for it w/o question…
• Basing our opinions on isolated quotes…
• Casting judgment without reading….

So, I read through these books.  I found value in each one.  I found some questionable stuff in each one too.  Thing is, I wasn’t looking for dirt for the sole purpose of looking for dirt.  I didn’t read them from a predisposed disposition of disagreement.  I read them, extending grace..  the benefit of doubt.. hoping for the best..  -I found the best parts.

Rob Bell knows that his book is going to be contraversial.  He knows that his form of communication breaks the boundaries of normality.  This is why the back cover has this statement:

“We have to test everything.  I thank god for anybody anywhere who is pointing people to the mysteries of God.  But those people would all tell you to think long and hard about twhat they are saying and doing and creating.  Test it.  Probe it.  Do that to this book.  Don’t swallow it uncritically.  Think about it.  Wrestle with it.  Just because I’m a Christian and I’m trying to articulate a Christian worldview doesn’t mean I’ve got it nailed.  I’m contributing to the discussion.  God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?”

RB has been accused of not believing in the virgin birth of Christ.  Why?  Becuase he’s trying to make a point that has nothing to do with the virgin birth, and yet, people stop reading at page 26 without hearing his defense on page 27:

“I affirm the historic Christian faith, which includes the virgin birth and the Trinity and the inspiration of the Bible and much more.  I’m a part of it, and I want to pass it on to the next generation…… “

The following sentence in the quote above raised my eyebrow:

I believe that God created everything and that Jesus is Lord, (so far so good… but, then…) and that God has plans to restore everything.

This is where people start having problems.  I’m not sure what RB means here.  Does this statement encompass: Hell, the Devil, the demons, those who rejected Christ?  Is this a statement that supports the accusation that RB is an Universalist?  Or, does this idea of restoration speak of God’s ultimate plan and the completion of it?  I’m not ready to pull RB into a witch trial just yet.  He just told me that he affirms the Christian faith.  That doesn’t include Universalism.  Later on, he’ll even speak of people being in Hell, so I’m not sure, with a statement like that, that a person can be a Universalist.

In contrast to those who expend all their energy defending one brand of faith over the other, Bell places his emphasis upon the “enjoying” or the “experiencing” of the faith.  The analogy is corny, but he uses a trampoline to explain it:  (pg. 27)

“I am far more interested in jumping than I am in arguing about whose trampoline is better.  You rarely defend the things you love.  You enjoy them and tell others about them and invite others to enjoy them with you.”

A lot of people criticize RB for asking questions.  Concerning this topic, he says: (pg. 28, 29)

“Questions are not scary.  What is scary is when people don’t have any.  What is tragic is fiath that has no room for them.”

Later, starting on pg 47, RB talked about some “rabbi” terminology.

“A rabbi’s set of rules and lists, which was really that rabbi’s interpretation of how to live the Torah, was called that rabbi’s yoke……………..   One rabbi even said his yoke was easy.  The intent then of a rabbi having a yoke wasn’t just to interpret the words correctly;  it was to live them out.  In the Jewish context, action was always the goal.”

Somewhere around pg. 78, RB begins to talk about the process of affirming and claiming truth wherever we find it.  No where doe he talk about ascribing truth to something we see as being Biblically wrong.  Nowhere is he claiming a relative view of truth that may vary from person to person or religion to religion.  You can get that from Joel Osteen.  Rob Bell isn’t going down that path at all.  He uses Paul, and gives examples of how Paul pulled real truth out of different circumstances, and claimed it.  He used this method as a device to teach and expand upon a fuller truth.  – on a side note, I just completed listening to Robinson Crusoe on my Mp3 player.  He did this too, when attempting to share his faith with his cannibal servant Friday.

“(pg. 80 – So as a Christian, I am free to claim the good, the true, the holy, wherever and whenever I find it.  I live with the understanding that truth is bigger than any religion (note from Chad – our faith, Christianity is not a religion) and the world is God’s and everything in it.”

Concerning the idea of secular vs. spiritual, he says on pg. 85:

“This is why it is impossible for a Christian to have a secular job.  If you follow Jesus and you are doing what you do in his name, then it is no longer secular work; it’s sacred.  You are there; God is there.  The difference is our awareness.”

Wow.  I remember learning this lesson while winding electric motors back in in 1994 in Bedford, Virginia.  All to the glory of God!

Continuing on with the idea labels, he addresses the threat of us abandoning discernment when things become labeled “Christian”

“The danger of labeling things “Christian” is that it can lead to our blindly consuming things we have been told are safe and acceptable.  When we turn off this discernment radar, dangerous things can happen.  We have to test everything.”

He challenges a simple view of salvation on pg. 107 by saying:

“For Jesus… salvation is far more.  It includes this understanding, but it is far more comprehensive – it is a way of life.  To be saved or redeemed or set free is to enter into a totally new way of living in harmony with God.  The rabbis called harmony with God “olam haba”, which translates “Life in the world to come”.  Salvation is living more and more in harmony with God, a process that will go on forever.”

RB shared his experience of going in for counseling when things got confusing in his life.  The counselor told him that his issue was a simple one.  He said this:  “Sin” (pg. 114)

“And then he said, in what has become a pivotal moment in my journey, “Your job is the relentless pursuit of who God has made you to be.  And anything else you do is sin and you need to repent of it.”

In the back of the book where I keep a list of significant page numbers, it merely said this:  Pg. 114 – WOW!

The book stopped having a significant impact on me after pg. 116.  I didn’t find anything worthy of taking note of and can’t even remember what it’s about.  But, on this final page.. (116 that is) I was really encouraged:  Many of us pastor types have this unspoken expectation in our heads of what we’re supposed to become.  We see the guys with the big churches who write books and are on t.v. and we feel challenged.  We feel like we too, need to strive to become the super-pastor.  Notice what RB said:

“I meet so many people who have superwhatever rattling around in their head.  They have this person they are convinced they are supposed to be, and their superwhatever is killing them.  They have this image they picked up over the years of how they are suposed to look and act and work and play and talk, and it’s like a voice that never stops shouting in their ear….   And the only way to not be killed by it is to shoot first.  Yes, that is what I meant to write.  You have to kill your superwhatever.  And you have to do it right now.  Because your superwhatever will rob you of today and tomorrow and the next day until you take it out back and end its life.  Go do it.  This book will be here when you get back.”

I watched his video “Everything Is Spiritual” three times.  It was incredible.  I highly reccommend it.  I read Velvet Elvis, and saw many places where his communication was either: wrong, misleading, vague or hard to discern.  It may have been heresy, as some see it.  It may not have either.  Unless he was clear in the intent of what he was saying, I didn’t try to apply any of my own presupposed definitions.

Since I’ve read the book, I’ve heard it misquoted so many times with the sole intent of defaming the author.  Maybe his other stuff is more clear concerning his questionable doctrine.  I wasn’t looking for the wrong stuff so much as… I was looking for the right stuff.

I found some right stuff.

As teachers and students, we often think in terms of the whole”gold mine”. Teachers want to deliver a complete message: one which carries a rich vein of gold for the student to follow and mine from completely.  For the most part, this is the intent of most students.  They want to see and receive the big picture from beginning to end.

Our ambition for both teaching and learning should seek to take in the complete essence of the; moral, principle or lesson that is being delivered.  However, we shouldn’t discount the nugget.  This past week several people shared insights with me about the lessons I recently taught.  In each incident, it was a “one liner” that really hit them.  They spoke to me as if that point were the main essence of my whole message. 

In one case, I thought to myself, “I don’t remember saying that”. 

I used to wonder about things like this in the past.  I would ask myself: ”Did they get the overall essense of message?”    “Would I have been equally as effective in my teaching if that one line were the only thing I had said all morning?”

I don’t think that way any more.  Like in most things, my mind goes to fishing.  Does the fisherman concern himself with each particle of “chum” that he throws in the water?  No way!  He is only concerned with the bait that is on the hook.  One of the most glorious sounds in deep sea fishing is when the first mate cries out, “Hook Up!”.  That’s exciting.  You jam that rod into your hip, (creating a healthy bruise), reel, pull, loose line, reel, pull, land the fish, collapse exhausted and smile for an hour straight.  Did the chum catch that fish?  Yes, in a way it helped.  It drew the fish in.  It kept the fish interested.  But, the piece of bait that really caught that tuna’s attention..  was the one with the hook in it.

Sure, a lot of people will focus in, take note and harvest richly from that vein of gold that is presented.  However, most people walk away remembering that one verse… that one application.. that one illustration…  with the hook in it.  I’ve had nuggets change my life.  I’ve seen lives changed by a simple nugget. 

So now, when I teach, I don’t discount a single word.  Each line, each verse, each application is potentially rich and powerful to the lives of the learner.  When I listen, the same attitude applies.  Sure, I take in the big picture, but it’s usually the nugget that gets me.

Students..  listen to every word.

Teachers.. consider every word, as if it were the nugget that will change someone’s life.

What does it mean to be the real deal? How do we define “genuine”? What determines a sincere expression? What is truth if it’s not absolute? In the world of right and wrong who creates the middle ground? If there is an uncompromisable wrong (black) and an uncompromisable (white) why are the voices who define “gray” so many?

The relative crowd says that all things are fluid. The same thing bears different interpretations based on the opinions and feelings of those making judgment in relation to their current environmental circumstances. “I think therefore I am!” Therefore, I think the reality you claim to be true is not true. (I’ve tried this with my credit card bill. It doesn’t work)

If there is no recognized and agreed upon standard for truth, then there can’t be a common truth.

• Not worldwide. (so let’s scale it down)
• Not Nationwide. (so let’s scale it down more)
• Not Statewide. (so, let’s keep on scaling it down)
• Not church-wide. (same standard, interpreted and regarded differently… more scaling down)
• Not denomination-wide. (some claim it, but in reality every denomination has renegade thought… on to the next level)
• How about, individual church/fellowship wide?

Still, unless there is only one member… the standard of truth will waver from person to person. The Bible will still be regarded by each different person with varying levels of: understanding, knowledge, emotion, tradition and personal experience.

As a pastor, I am called to teach from a standard of truth and deliver it to a certain amount of people every week. Some of those people look to the Word and confess that it is 100% true “as they hear it”. They don’t hold it against me for delivering the truth that might be difficult to receive. They see the truth as being genuine, and then strive to respond to it genuinely. This is what really stirs up excitement in me. When I see believers who possess bonifide salvation, living out a bonifide faith, I am thrilled. When I see someone who: sincerely engages in worship, understands and commits to the important practice of fellowship, prays and engages the Word as a real priority in their lives, then I know, I’m seeing someone who understands what it means to be a Christian. When I see a group of people interacting together in a common understanding of these things, then I’m seeing a group of people who truly understand what it means to “be the church”.

And yet, it’s bittersweet.

When I see a small percentage embracing the genuine expressions of the faith, I can’t help but to compare. If there’s a small percentage that gets it, then obviously, there’s a large percentage that doesn’t get it. Some are in an appropriate disposition of faith. Because of that, they hear and receive the absolute truth of God’s Word absolutely. Some are in a different disposition of faith. They are absolutely saved, but they are not absolutely experiencing God’s intended design for their lives.

When the Word is spoken, it is heard differently. Years of tradition are blocking the Word from having an influence. Personal opinions are barring the door. Emotional baggage, (guilt, anger, regret, bitterness, apathy) is standing in the way. Plain old refusal hinders the impact of the message. Bad habits… short cuts… preconceived notions… the list goes on and on. The end result, for many, is lack; lack of blessing, lack of understanding, lack of power, lack of victory…

If the Word is blocked from entering the door of our heart, we’ll feel it. There are many different ways to feel it. One of the most common is, offense.

If the Word is blocked from entering the door of our heart, we’ll make a change. Since we’re not willing to change ourselves, the required alteration is then applied to the Word. We then change that which is offensive and demanding, into that which is permissive and symbolic. By doing so, we’ve created our own version of the standard, and right and wrong have become, once again, fluid definitions of relativity.

It’s hard to preach the absolute truth. As it is being delivered, the bulk of it is bouncing off of the barriers of many present souls. As it is delivered, the process of offense and reinterpretation is surely happening somewhere. As it’s delivered, someone is getting unhappy with the messenger, for the way the message is making them feel.

And yet, I find peace when I look at the example of Jesus. Thousands followed Him, only to turn away when He delivered the absolute truth. Thousands followed Him, only to stumble at the message. Jesus started with 12 and ended with less than that. For three years in between, there were thousands! So in a way, most of us who are pastors have better percentages than Jesus. Didn’t Jesus say in John 14:12, that we would do “greater” works after He goes to His Father? (maybe this is a poor application of that).. Does any of this short-change the power of the message? Does any of this discount the might of our Lord? Absolutely not. In fact, this reminds us again that humans are fallen. This reminds us again, that even amongst those who become “born again”, the burden of the fallen flesh is still a mighty influence. A bulk of those people who walk through the doors of our fellowship meetings every week are suffering in some way. Their hearts are guarded against the truth. And yet, they’re still coming in. They’re still putting themselves in the firing line of God’s Word.

Sure, the percentages of those who experience genuine faith, are small. But everybody else is still there. If the Holy Spirit is able to convict, then His playing field is huge. And with this, I personally have received a fresh perspective on my ministry. I can’t make anybody do anything for the right reason. The Holy Spirit has to be the influence. In His timing, He will draw soul after soul into a genuine understanding of what it means to “be” a Christian.

I’ve decided that I’m going to be ok with that.

When I was 16 I went on a mission trip to Peru with Teen Missions International.  It was an experience that changed me in a big way.  Two years later, T.M.I. announced that they were starting up a Bible School on their campus in Merritt Island, Fla.  Without hesitation, I signed up and moved there in the fall.  In addition to the education, (most of which was excellent thanks to one of my personal heroes in life, former Village Missions Pastor: Howard Vanderpool), I learned a whole lot through the people who worked with and around that particular ministry.  One of the lessons I’ve learned about “vision” stems back to a secluded piece of property back in the swamps of T.M.I.’s property.

The director of that ministry is a man who oozes vision.  He has ideas coming out of his ears.  Some of them are incredible.  But, some of them just don’t quite work out.  Sometimes, the vision is tested and found to be unprofitable.  Sometimes, the vision is bold and exciting, until the insurance vultures swept in and picked it apart.  As a result of all these ideas that “didn’t make it”, physical structures where forced to be torn down and removed.  They were then carted off to the “junk pile” in a secluded section of the property.

The cynic might look on at that heap and say, “Boy, this guy sure had a lot of bad ideas.”  When I was there, I don’t know what I thought of it.  I was just an immature kid.  But here I am years later, and I often think back to that pile of junk.  That pile wasn’t a sign of failure.  No way.  That pile was a side effect of big vision.  He was the kind of man whose eyes were always scanning the horizon for: the next opportunity, the next open door, the next plan…  Along the way, some things didn’t work out.  He had the boldness to let that junkyard of failed vision grow.  He had the confidence to keep on dreaming.  He had the spiritual sensitivity to receive many ideas that did work in incredibly big ways.

I’ve been pastoring now for about 8 years.  Our church has sprouted 5 other fellowships locally.  We’ve been involved in many different kinds of ministry including; radio, crusades, concerts, servant evangelism, street ministry, overseas missions work…  and so much more.  Some of these things are fruitful.  Some of these things are a huge investment of: time, labor and resource resulting in zero visible fruit.  Are we failures because we’ve done things that have failed?  No way.   We do however, have our own junkyard of failed vision.  You won’t find any physical junk to rummage through, but you will find a history of events that were better left undone.

Mistakes?  Blunders?  Bad Choices?   …maybe.   I prefer to see them as the side effects to vision.  I’m glad that junkyard is there.  It reminds me, that I’ve always been willing to think and do something that might not always fit in the box.

Today, my eyes search the horizons.  Sometimes I say it’s a matter of willingness.  Sometimes I call it a curse.  I wish I could relax and be content to settle into the model and simply do what others are doing.  I try to…  but then, my mind wanders.  My mind sees the shortfalls and then dreams of a solution.  My mind strips away the tradition and tries to think of things as they were.. possibly.. in their purest form.  My mind is always reaching outside of the box… trying to find something that might be more “right”  or more “effective”.

I’m not interested in being different for the sake of being different.  That mentality, in itself usually drives us to be just like someone else who is trying to be different, and thus, there we are being same in our attempts to be different.  I learned this in my teens when I tried to be different by looking like a punk-rocker.  Then I realized… hey, I look like all the other punk rockers.

Even though it stresses me out, I’m still going to let my mind search and think outside of the box.  In the meantime, I’m going to strive for contentment in the things that I know won’t change.