This past week has been a blur! I’ve been coming and going and running and trying to sleep when I get a chance. I’m usually busy, but this this week has been on overdrive. Even today, Thursday, my favorite day of the week, I’m finding my schedule overloaded. I’m currently sitting at Java and we’re listening to Theater music, which, oddly enough, I’m finding relaxing.
A part of this weeks wackiness has been a conference that I went to at our Conference office. The conference wasn’t wacky, it was very good. One of the authors from the book UnChristian was the keynote speaker, and he was great. We also had our very own Bishop begin and end the time with some statistics and thoughts about the local church. Now, I realize that I’m partial, but what he had to share was nothing short of brilliant! The things he shared have the potential to inspire revival in the hearts across the commonwealth.
Of all the things he shared, one piece really stuck out to me – his challenge. He had given us a bunch of pretty saddening statistics about the state of the United Methodist Church in KY but then he released us. He challenged us to not be chaplains in our local churches but to be Pastors. Now, I know some chaplains who are awesome. They work in hospitals and with the military and they do amazing work. They provide comfort and compassion daily in a world that would stress me out! They also are some of the first who are available as a patient is coming close to death. I’m thankful for these people and their incredible ministry. The thing is Pastors aren’t called to that ministry.
Pastors aren’t to be leading congregations to death but to life. The bishop’s challenge to us was to be a people of Mission – to step out, to take a risk, to push the cause of Christ forward in new ways, to be a people of Vision. He challenged us not to be afraid of failing, but to be afraid of not trying. We’re a people who claim to have been given the greatest story ever! We have been entrusted with the very message of JESUS – a message of LIFE and REDEMPTION and LOVE. It’s a restoring faith, not a condemning thing that should put us down and prepare us to roll over.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a guy who likes to keep moving – to push forward. I’ve been guilty of that pretty much all my life. So, this word is obviously exciting to me, however, I share it with you today not to get myself all excited again (which undoubtedly will happen), but to ask you the same question. Are you a chaplain of your faith? Are you waiting for something to die or to escape something, or are you a missionary in a culture that is in deep need? The church in America is struggling – in fact some say we’re in exile. We need folks who trust and love the great story and who will live as missionaries who are in Exile. We need folks who will take a risk to love someone else and share with them the “better story”.
I was fired up by the Bishop! I hope you will be too. I encourage you to read the first part of Daniel – watch and see how this young follower of God who engaged a culture that was radically opposed to his faith. How did he do it? How did he engage those outside? How did he take a risk?
May we all experience new and abundant life today – may we not get to busy, but may we find passion to engage, to love and to be missionaries in a world that NEEDS a better story!