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so i made this decision about a week ago.
after a lay-off of a few months, i knew it was time to start my walking regimen again. my playing days are over. my knees haven’t been able to bend past 90 degrees for over three decades. i haven’t sweat as a result of actually “running” running in years (short bursts of effort on a racquetball court don’t really count as running…).
walking is my default cardio. i’m not sure bowling would qualify. anyway, back to the decision…
while walking through my community last week, i had a moment. it was a moment of both clarity and overwhelm. i live in a neighborhood full of possibilities. my church (not “mine”…) is part of this same neighborhood. that night, i saw and felt opportunities to live out my faith with a new perspective.
most of the ideas were not new. many of them are things we’ve talked about before. some are things we’ve done in the past. others are things we already do, in some way. some are all mine. some are yours. you can see the list here.
no, the ideas were not new. but the sense of urgency was. the sense of reality was. the sense of clarity was. and the sense of “what do i do now?” left me feeling horribly under-qualified as a leader.
it was just what i needed.
when it came to youth ministry programs and strategies, it seems like i’ve always known what to do. my life experience…my education…my training…my spiritual gifts…my natural talents…had always allowed me to lead from my strength. i always felt comfortable in dreaming, program-planning, creative problem-solving and team leadership…when it came to youth ministry.
right now? i really don’t know the next step to take with all of these possibilities. i’m not sure what is the best move to make. my experience is leaving me unprepared to navigate through the next steps of mobilizing our church family to make the right choices…the best places to invest our time, energy, and resources.
so instead of using my ingenuity and limited leadership skill, i’ve decided to….walk.
i’ve decided to walk my community for the next 30 days and listen to what god might be saying to us. to me.
i walk about an hour each day. i try to go different routes…walking different streets and different parts of the neighborhood. i have a pretty cool two-and-a-half mile loop that i’ve already done a few times. i really like it.
there’s nothing special about the thirty days. wanda and i are going on vacation march 14, so i’ve decided to walk everyday until then. it’s not some kind of spiritual 40-days of “purpose”. i’m not walking around trying to pray the walls of the city down like some kind of modern day mo-joshua (you had to be there…).
nope. i’m just a guy wandering around trying to see my community with god’s eyes and asking for wisdom on how to proceed.
it’s a nice place to be.
anybody want to start making your own walk? anybody want to join in praying for wisdom? there’s plenty of room.
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