Though... at this moment, 9:20am on Wednesday May 15 I have no idea where this call may be. Well... I sort of do, but they haven't made their decision as of yet that I know of. I met the leaders of the congregation last night and we had conversation about what their transition might look like. It was good conversation and I suspect... or at least I hope they saw value and will ask me to lead them through the transition process.
This got me thinking about New Destinations for me and for the congregation. Some of them seemed pretty anxious about this journey. There is a survival sense about them and it's reminiscent of a couple of bible stories. One... that of Peter walking on water, where he was gun ho and doesn't only to lose focus, but survival mode kicks in. The other, of all of them crammed into the upper room wondering after Jesus is put to death what they are going to do next. Certainly... survival is a most forefront thing on their minds.
Both of these stories... and you might be able to think of others similar, offer the same response. They lost focus about what was the main thing... that being Jesus. The church leaders I met with last night had for the most part the same thinking. Their focus was about how they were going to survive as a congregation rather than on how they were going to share Jesus with their neighbors.
For them the destination is themselves, and how they are going to maintain that status. It seems... like many congregations think... that what we currently have is better than looking at what could be. Rather than look towards the future... they would rather reminisce of what was. We don't want to make any mistakes... or at least not the same ones over again. It seems their thinking can't get beyond what they've known. I say these things not to be critical, but to make the point this is what holds back congregations rather than opening them up to new discoveries.
To quote Albert Einstien, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." Which is what congregations do when crisis happens. They hunker down. It's a human temptation for security. We see this in Jesus' friends behavior, our own behavior, and in the behavior of our country. When we sense instability, fear, and tension we default to a fight or flight mentality. Most of the time it's FLIGHT. We would rather run from a crisis than preserver and endure one.
For me... and this is easier said than done... I try my best to keep focus on Jesus. I know personally that God provides... I've experienced it first hand, but it can also be terrifying. I try to keep focus on looking forward through the windshield to what is coming rather than focusing on the rear view mirror at what was. We need to look at the past occasionally so that we remember the good of the past, but our focus needs to be looking forward so that we can see what is in front of us. If not... there will be disaster for sure.
So... we need new eyes if we are to see a new destination. This will take some creativity and imagination. Another Einstien quote I like is, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." I'm sure there are those who would disagree, but the point is if you have knowledge and don't implement you don't get anywhere. Imagination is the force that brings about the necessary knowledge to turn some-thing into "something." It is really about having new eyes to see new discoveries.
See You Out on the Road.
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