questions…
In the last few months, we’ve been wrestling with some very thought provoking questions that have helped me, so I thought I’d pass them on. Here they are…
What is the toughest choice you currently need to make in your ministry? You will be miserable until you do it, keeping your ministry from growing and developing into this vision you feel like He has given you.
Am I being who God made me to be, or am I trying to be _____(fill in the blank)_____? There is already a Rob Bell, a Erwin McManus, a Francis Chan, a Louie Giglio, and the list goes on of people we admire. We aren’t them, so why would we want to sell Him short on what He has in mind for us?
What do you feel like you are truly the best at, and how much of your energy do you use to focus on that area? You are either doing a great job in that area, or you have a lot of areas that are probably doing alright.
What are the biggest risks you’ve recently taken? If you constantly succeeded and haven’t failed recently, then the risks must have not been that great.
Are you willing to endure pain to help your ministry continue to grow? Because if you don’t do something about it, it will become stagnant and increasingly frustrating to you.
If you can wrestle through these questions your ministry will forever change.
powerless…
This Tuesday I was in Dallas for a few meetings and to spend time with a friend of mine. I had heard so much about the ministry to the homeless that was taking place in downtown Dallas, and I couldn’t wait to go check it out. I had heard stories of people like Gunny & Kyle who I was looking forward to seeing, yet having no idea what to expect. There was this sense of excitement, anticipation, anxiety, and fear. The plan, simply talk to people there and pray for them. Simple enough right?
While there, I met Tommy. He was in his early 40s, very disgruntled with “the system” and people in general. He asked me 2-3 times what we were selling or if I had a smoke. I told him I didn’t have either and we were simply there to pray with them and get to know them. To which he replied, “You don’t care to know me, so why would I want you to pray for me.” He has lived a tough life, kept saying he just couldn’t catch a break, and that no one truly cared. So as we talked, and I learned more about him and where he had been. He told us that we didn’t have a clue, and we were totally ignorant to what was truly going on down there. I replied, “You are right, we really don’t have a clue,” and I asked him to forgive me. He looked at me like I was on something.
I thought to myself as he continued on, ‘I am ignorant to what you face every day, because we have a home to go home to, food to eat, a place to sleep, and essentially all we need to live.’ So as our conversation came to an end, I asked Tommy if he would pray for us. He said that he wasn’t an ordained minister, so he didn’t feel like he could. I told him that you don’t have to be ordained to pray. To which he said, “Cool, let’s hold hands.” He asked what he could pray for. I asked that he pray we would be less ignorant, more understanding and more loving. That we would love them, like Christ loves us. That he would forgive us for pretending like we had it all together, but we really don’t. So he did and it was amazing! As he prayed, I fought back the tears, feeling powerless.
Later that night before I fell asleep, I stayed up praying for Billy, Gunny, Tommy, and others. I was truly overwhelmed, feeling so powerless, and not sure what to pray for. Maybe it’s the prayer Tommy prayed.
Lord, we are grateful for this one more beautiful day we have today. We thank you Father, for these brothers of mine. I pray that you bless them and help them, because so many are ignorant and need understanding. Forgive all of us, for times we do wrong things we aren’t suppose to do. Father like you said, you came for the poor and the needy, so we thank you for that. Help us not to forget that Father. Please keep us and show us your love as we try to do the same. Watch over us Lord, we pray. Amen.
Powerless in many ways. Yet full of a power that only comes from Him. Maybe it starts with praying for them, or them praying for us. Where it goes from here, is still to be seen.
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