We can't hide from visions
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." - Joel 2:28
Tonight I believe the Lord has granted me a vision. It's one that is only possible in concert with others. Something that began forming in the fall of 2001 has taken a giant step forward.
How often do we get a vision or dream of something and blow it off? We say it's crazy or impossible or just a fantasy. "It would be great, but..." There's always a "but." Why? Perhaps it's because we aren't willing to go out on limbs. We don't like risk. We'd rather buy a lottery ticket. The problem is that God grants us dreams and visions for our ministries and we let them go fallow. They languish in our hearts, dragging us down and deadening our awareness of God's presence.
Last month I was struck by a daily reading in "The Rule of Benedict, Insights for the Ages" having to do with impossible tasks. I have been musing over that for the last month and it hasn't gone away. I have talked to several groups on that topic, and each time it seemed to cement itself further in my brain rather than being released. I didn't understand why.
As I drove home from a meeting I was given the impulse to visit with a fellow youth director and share a vision of shared ministry to the teens of our city. I hadn't been to this person's house before, but I managed to find it from a previous description. I talked about this recurring idea of youth across town coming together to worship regularly and how it had cropped up again tonight, causing my visit. My comrade in ministry smiled and listened well, and then proceeded to share a vision of cooperative youth ministry across congregations that would involve worship, fellowship and service to the local community. We discovered that each of us was being moved in similar and very compatible directions.
It's only the very beginning of discussion, let alone action. It's a start. My co-worker in Christ and I will continue the discussion and seek out other like minded youth workers to share the vision. I know now that my vision isn't a pipe dream. I hope the other director knows the same thing. God is inspiring us to do something new to serve our community's vast needs and help our students grow in their understanding of the power and love of God.
Do you have people you can trust to talk with about the dreams and visions of ministry that the Holy Spirit is granting you? You need to find them if you haven't already. It takes community to make things happen. We must learn to rely on each other and our gifts and not be paralyzed by fear of ridicule and rejection. Find someone. Share what God shows you. Hold each other accountable and aid one another in ministry. It's what the body of Christ is built to do.
Tonight I believe the Lord has granted me a vision. It's one that is only possible in concert with others. Something that began forming in the fall of 2001 has taken a giant step forward.
How often do we get a vision or dream of something and blow it off? We say it's crazy or impossible or just a fantasy. "It would be great, but..." There's always a "but." Why? Perhaps it's because we aren't willing to go out on limbs. We don't like risk. We'd rather buy a lottery ticket. The problem is that God grants us dreams and visions for our ministries and we let them go fallow. They languish in our hearts, dragging us down and deadening our awareness of God's presence.
Last month I was struck by a daily reading in "The Rule of Benedict, Insights for the Ages" having to do with impossible tasks. I have been musing over that for the last month and it hasn't gone away. I have talked to several groups on that topic, and each time it seemed to cement itself further in my brain rather than being released. I didn't understand why.
As I drove home from a meeting I was given the impulse to visit with a fellow youth director and share a vision of shared ministry to the teens of our city. I hadn't been to this person's house before, but I managed to find it from a previous description. I talked about this recurring idea of youth across town coming together to worship regularly and how it had cropped up again tonight, causing my visit. My comrade in ministry smiled and listened well, and then proceeded to share a vision of cooperative youth ministry across congregations that would involve worship, fellowship and service to the local community. We discovered that each of us was being moved in similar and very compatible directions.
It's only the very beginning of discussion, let alone action. It's a start. My co-worker in Christ and I will continue the discussion and seek out other like minded youth workers to share the vision. I know now that my vision isn't a pipe dream. I hope the other director knows the same thing. God is inspiring us to do something new to serve our community's vast needs and help our students grow in their understanding of the power and love of God.
Do you have people you can trust to talk with about the dreams and visions of ministry that the Holy Spirit is granting you? You need to find them if you haven't already. It takes community to make things happen. We must learn to rely on each other and our gifts and not be paralyzed by fear of ridicule and rejection. Find someone. Share what God shows you. Hold each other accountable and aid one another in ministry. It's what the body of Christ is built to do.
posted by Jim | 5/15/2006 10:39:00 PM
1 Comments:
Hi...found your blog via the YS Update. I formed a partnership with another local church and Young Life a couple of years back that lasted for a couple of years. It is possible, but not easy, though you probably wouldn't expect it to be easy.
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