May you be blessed with discomfort...?

Just read a reaction from Craig Groeschel's presentation at the Leadership Summit from Mark Beeson (long posting...). I'm planning to get Craig's book and was struck by an interesting Franciscan blessing that Mark shared from it:

“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and the exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, and starvation, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.”


I found myself feeling uncomfortable after services this weekend. I couldn't put my finger on the reason for this discomfort then, but after reading this reaction to Craig's talk, I wonder if it was and is a sneaking suspicion that I (and my leadership) have been stretched a bit farther than the priorities of my role allow. In other words, just because I can do some things on the outskirts of my role, doesn't mean that I should do them. It depends on priority and whether the task/cause can be successfully delegated. So, questions to ask and answer are:
  • What am I doing that someone else can do just as well or better?
  • What am I doing now that adds minimal value to the role to which I'm called?
  • How thorough am I to ensure I am prayerfully fed and watered in the Scriptures?
  • What are we as a church doing (regardless of reason) which does not fulfill our mission?
  • Worse, what are we as a church doing (regardless of reason) which goes against our stated mission? (Yikes!)
  • How am I contributing to or enabling mission-less activities rather than mission-al ministries?
  • What is my sense of urgency concerning the mission of the church?
  • How am I balancing that sense of urgency with the requirement to be still know that He is God?

Questions, questions, questions. I don't pretend to have all this buttoned down (hence the open-ended questions) nor do I have all the answers. However, I know the One who does.

How would you answer these questions about your role in the kingdom?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Poignant and difficult questions, Greg. I'm reading Craig Groeschel’s book "It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It." The illusive "it" is what attracts people and makes ministries effective. Craig says "it" can't be taught, but "it" can be caught. God gives "it." "It" has a lot to do with the Holy Spirit. Churches that have "it" are incredibly focused, willing to fail, led by people who have "it," and those people see potential when others see problems. Craig says "the spark of passion ignites the fuel for innovation." And he says "it" follows big vision. God makes "it" happen. "It" is from him, by him, and for his glory. You may want to watch brief videos about the book's message at http://www.zondervan.com/it and http://floatingaxhead.com/2008/08/11/the-power-of-it/
August 12, 2008 at 2:41 PM
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