I Want to Be a Better. . .
Where is James? What is he thinking? How is his sabbatical going? I don’t suppose very many people are even thinking about me, but if you happen to be among the few wondering ‘where I am at,’ here is a little update as of July 6, 2009.
It took me almost a month just to detox from the continuous flow of ministry demands. The staff has been 100% phenomenal in helping me get there. For the past 2-4 weeks I have really rested, and as renewal begins to arrive in my soul and even grow, I am thinking about the future of my faith personally and of my family and my church family at Harvest, and Walk in the Word, and Harvest Bible Fellowship. I am determined not to do just more but to do better for the next 20 years than I have done these past 20. To that end I want to be a better. . .
1) Follower of Christ: I want to know Him better, imitate him more accurately and entirely, reflect his heart and obey his words. In short, I want to be a better disciple. This is the original fire that got all the other fires going and I want to throw more of the ‘logs’ of my energy right here at the source. I could never have imagined how serving Christ mitigates against following him, but for me it often does and that is no one’s fault but my own. More focus on being, means a little less focus on doing. Jesus at the center of it all for sure—that’s what he is asking of me and that is what I long to give. No doubt Mary chose ‘the better part.’
2) Leader of Others: More and more I relate to the lament of C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, who longed to get rid of the false self “and all its posing and posturing. To get even near it, even for a moment, is like a drink of cold water to a man in a desert.” The biggest part of leading others is just that, it’s about others. In times of opposition and disappointment I regret allowing the discussion to become about the personalities rather than staying focused on the mission. Strong leadership means death to self, in the home and in the church. It means a non-anxious presence doing what is right for the mission and paying the price quietly and prayerfully. By God’s grace I will do this better and delight myself in the refrain, ‘It’s all about you, Jesus.”
3) Student of Scripture: I want to take a full further step away from the demands of administrating the work of God and into the Word of God. More and more I see there are others who can manage and insure and develop and delegate, but fewer who can fulfill my calling in my church to feed hungry hearts the Word of the living God. I have given myself to that task for more than two decades and in this season of reflection before redeployment, I only long to do that more. The Scriptures satisfy my soul and dispensing them does more to satisfy my calling, by far, than any other activity.
4) Friend of Pastors: Pastoral leadership is a very lonely calling at times and almost nothing fires me up more than getting with a group of men who understand that space and helping each other do it better. I want to give increased energy to our HBF pastors. I want to speak and write and blog and create resources to help pastors pastor better, more biblically, more fruitfully and with greater fulfillment. How unusual that I know and count as friends great leaders in the seeker movement, the reformed movement, the baptist world, plus charismatics and bible church guys and other large non-denom pastors, etc. I have felt like I fit a bit everywhere but not entirely anywhere. I am not going to resist that anymore. I am going to revel in it, and encourage pastors where ever I find them to center their efforts more and more on “the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:2).
5) Pursuer of Quality: Since the first days of Harvest we have tried to keep our focus upon QUALITY not QUANTITY. Better worship services, better children’s ministry, better small groups led by better disciples, etc. Yet the demands of numerical growth, and the recognition people seem to automatically give it, and the complication it brings to any organization, war against that quality focus. Quality and quantity are in a constant battle and both matter, but I still believe that quality matters MORE! I believe the best quantity is a by-product not a goal. We have never done much to reach more people, believing the numerical growth was healthiest as an end not a goal. As I head into this last half of my sabbatical I am thinking about how we can make better disciples in more ways in our own church. The ultimate goal is God’s glory and better disciples bring more glory to God as they reach others authentically than weak disciples pushing an artificial outreach mechanism. In the end quality disciples reach many and build a better representation of His kingdom here in our little corner of the vineyard.
Each of these could be a whole blog, but that’s a little update about what I am thinking. Hope your summer is going well! 
james
Categorized as: From James, Luke's Links
