Religion & Spirituality
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts; it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is the Lord’s work. Therefore the annoyances, the day-to-day frustrations and the everyday mundane all serve to remind us that, there is so much more going on than what we see and comprehend. This serves as daily encouragement when the storms of life come and go, but it also serves as our hope, light and focus as we keep our perspective centered on what we’re really here for. On the podcast today, we talk about what it means to be compelled by a vision not our own. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. No sermon says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church's mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. That is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted knowing they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that affects far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very, very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the Master Builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future that is not our own.” Oscar Romero ”So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.” –Colossians 3:1-2 (MSG) Be sure to subscribe for newsletter updates and listen on iTunes! Mentioned In Today’s Podcast Common Prayer Mark 9:2-13: The Transfiguration Podcast 007: Glen Madden: Producing Fruit