12 February 2004

What is the end of what we are trying to do?

In my conversations this past few weeks, and there have been many with pastors, professors, religious, secular, academics, rabble-rousers, Catholics, Baptists, men, women, young, mature, pagans, self, there seems to be the uncertainty of purpose for the church. What is our outcome, how do we know if we are successful? We do an awful lot without ever measuring the fruit. Are we doing what we are called or are we calling what we are doing? There is a difference.

We begin to label that we are doing as the purpose rather than seeking Him and being faithful and obedient to do that, and only that, to which we are called. We institutionalize our process and leave out and marginalize the mysterious and the mystics. “God bless us as we…” is our mantra as we religiously do what we have been doing through the ages with great success. But what happens when we see less fruit, shriveling on vine, or it becomes mundane and no longer fun? What is our reaction to this? Instead of going back to the drawing board we need to go back to the Drawer. Is He leading in a new direction or is He keeping the course? If He is, we is.

I say all of this because this past season of recruitment did not yield that to which I have had in the past. It was harder, I wasn’t heartily endorsed by faculty, and some places that produce great results didn’t yield as much, if any. Is my time at an end, is my way of operating to change, is there to be new places to plant and harvest? These are my questions.

To continue without seeking Him would be ludicrous. Did I end up here because I got too confident in My way rather than waking each morning to seek His? Without taking a step, did I seek His direction? No, I did it my way. It use to be His way, but when it became mine I took my eyes off of Him and plotted my own path. The journey of mistakes begins with the first step off the way.

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God… I am and I will.

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