It would be impossible to write in this format all the things that I am learning about God on a daily basis. (I want you to think about that.) I am 45 years old, been in church every Sunday of my life except a few. I have been through 2 years of ministry school. I have been to 4 countries for Him and I am learning more about Him everyday. How beautiful is that. - - but that is really besides the point.
I had intended today to write about seed planting. In the aftermath of Mr. Unlovable, yesterday seemed to be one of sowing seeds for the future. That was until I opened Church Unique by Will Mancini as I lay in bed at 10:30pm. I am reading the book in preparation of hopefully going into churches and helping them define their mission, or as I would say define the roll in the kingdom. To help them identify and convey their unique mission to their congregations and beyond. So several days ago it came to me that I should do the very same thing in my life if I was going to do it for others. I had prepared a detailed post about the process, and then God blew it out of the water last night.
I got to a chapter that was talking about the "mission" is really a mandate. It went on with tons of explanation about the importance of the mission statement, and practical guides of how to articulate it, at which point I thought it is now time to articulate mine. I turned to a blank page in back of the book. Intending to brainstorm and write ideas, I prayed instead . I said, "God, this mandate should really be from you. I know I am working to discover it, but in the end what I say doesn't matter if it's not what you say the mission is . Can I please have my mandate?"
Picking up my pencil, this is what I wrote in the back of my book.
Shameless surrender in hopes that some might know Christ more.
I thought to myself, that's good. Content with the accomplishment I texted it to Jim, and went to sleep.
This morning the magnitude of the mission mandate hit me. Coming from the business world I perceive the mission statement as really the value proposition of the company. Me being in this transition from business to full-time ministry and scared to death about supporting my family in the process I thought about this mission statement on those terms. Shamelessness is my value proposition? Surrender is what is going to open up the storehouses of heaven so that we have a roof over our head and food on the table? A hundred questions pop into my head.
But as I meditate on it. (notice the difference) As I go from thinking about it, to meditating on it I am struck by the awe, and originality, and applicability. Jamie often wonders aloud of why I am so open in posting to the "world." Now I have the answer. Shameless surrender in hopes that some might know Christ more. I went back to an inventory of strengths, gifts, values, etc that I had created in the process of church unique. For strengths alone I had identified 29 individual ones. Two pages of personal inventory and not once is shameless mentioned. But you know what? It encompasses most of the strengths.
What's your mission mandate?
If you interchange mission with vision then really it is just a matter of looking at it from the right perspective. It is like looking at the forest, then a tree, then a leaf. The forest for us all is to love God and love people. But what is the tree you are to focus on? For me I know now it's shameless surrender. The leaf does not need to be defined. It is looked at daily. The leaf is our daily, ever dynamic, walk with God. You would not want to box that in with an overly defined mandate.
I have written all this and realized I have done nothing to tie it in with the scripture. The scripture comes from 2 areas. First is that I wanted to talk about planting seeds, and second the mission mandate is scaring me to death. I am seriously afraid that I have gone off the deep end. That my dependence on God for provision will never produce anything more than His word. I am afraid I have not planted enough seeds to reap a harvest. To be shameless... I am afraid to the point of tears. I don't have a clue what to do. And to me doing is surviving. Doing means you are going to eat. And yet over and over God reminds me of the scripture that started this post. Time and time again, from so many sources God says, I'm going to bring the work to you. Does any one understand how contrary to my nature this is? I want to market, to advertise, to get out and cold call. - - Or worse, run the opposite direction as fast as I can. And yet once again, I am experiencing a painful death to a part of me. The difference is I am fully assured of a beautiful resurrection once this fear is put to death.
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