Some time back I signed up for some free podcasts from Nelson Searcy (incidentally, the sheer volume of advertising I get from that guy, I wonder if he is more about the selling of how to build a church than he is about churches… but I digress) and as a result I get emails from him. The one I received this morning was about maximizing growth in the summer months for church plants. A good subject area – one that strikes close to home for me as we will be staging our “Great Canadian Adventure” in June to kick off a summer of reaching out into our community, serving and hopefully gaining the opportunity to share Christ.
What popped into my head, though, was, “What about Summer Vacation?” I was thinking about my future – moving to Medicine Hat to plant churches, I will be entering “vocational ministry” – in other words, doing God’s work for bread. It remains to be seen how much we will be supported financially and how much I will need to be working at a regular job to make ends meet, but regardless as the lead pastor of a church plant, my responsibility will be to train and equip people to be the church and grow the church. Summer won’t be a season of rest. It can’t be. People need Jesus – that need doesn’t suddenly abate with the long summer days and warm summer nights.
For some reason I found myself wrestling with feelings like if I go through with this I don’t get to take time off anymore. This really struck me emotionally. Then I realized, I am already on the job. Being on mission for God means that my whole life becomes his and my purposes become his purposes. It doesn’t mean I can’t “take a break” or choose to do something that I want to do, to recharge, but to also recognize that what I choose to recharge with 1) had better be honouring to him; and 2) that I hold on to my “me” time with an open hand, recognizing that even through that, God can use me for his purposes.
A good example of this was Cheryl and my own trip to Rwanda in 2006. We originally intended to go to Mexico, but really felt like God wanted us to do something for him with our vacation time so we sought out a short term mission trip instead. It was incredible, and in many ways that one choice to use our vacation for his purposes started us on the path we are on today.
Another example was something that Cheryl and I talked about the other day – using gardening as a mission. I don’t really like to garden, or do lawn maintenance. But you know what happens when I am outside on my lawn? I am meeting people. I am meeting all the dogwalkers, all the exercisers, all my neighbors who are out doing their yardwork. I am building relationships, and getting into people’s lives. I am creating room for God to work and draw people to himself through me. People don’t see me and suddenly drop to their knees, praying to God. But that first hello, that casual conversation, that discussion about the weather are the first steps towards friendship and trust and the place where we can talk about spiritual matters.
Suddenly mowing the lawn takes on a new priority. And suddenly, the summer doesn’t seem so daunting. I can be used of God while fishing, hiking, or touring the Royal Tyrell Museum with my kids. I still get my break. My tireless God will continue to work through me even in rest.
Right on!