FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
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Wednesday, July 04, 2007,11:45 a.m.
THINKING....
I've been reading Olivia Munn's blog this morning. It's caused me to grieve, think, rejoice and pray. Pretty good fruit for an online log of someone's thoughts and experiences in the last couple of weeks.
What it caused me to think about was the idea of ministry and what it looks like. Or perhaps, more accurately, what it is supposed to look like. Is it even supposed to look like anything? Are all ministries supposed to look or feel the same? I highly doubt it, since the places in which and the people to whom we minister are all so vastly different.
But in reading Olivia's recent blogs, I was struck by how different sometimes the ministry at 614 (our Vancouver inner city congregation) is compared to, for example, the ministry at the Sunday evening congregation at Cariboo Hill Temple (suburbia), or even the congregation in New Westminster (somewhere between suburbia and inner city). I've heard people say that "We are The Salvation Army - we are supposed to be in the inner cities!" Fair enough, I suppose, though it makes me rebel and wonder why The Salvation Army would want to condemn 99% of our country to hell simply because they live in the more suburban areas (they absolutely don't want that, just to be clear).
And then I realized, it's not an inner city ministry thing, I am reading about a ministry that prays and sees many miracles, that does its best to love unconditionally, and that has a heart to love Jesus and follow Him to the Nth degree. I find that I am experiencing a bit of holy jealousy (if that's possible).
And then I wonder if perhaps the reason I see it in my friends at 614 or their experiences is because I'm removed from it and hearing pieces. If I were to step back from the ministries to which God has graciously allowed me to put my hand, would I see the same things? Would I witness the same passion, persecution, miracles, love and Presence?
Man, I hope so. Not for any glory of my own but rather to know that the Lord is at work, and that we are being faithful to what He has called us to do and to be. Maybe it's God's grace that we don't see these things in ourselves? Pride is such a powerful weapon of the enemy, and all too easily accepted by us.
No answers on this one. It just made me think. Thanks, Olivia.
What it caused me to think about was the idea of ministry and what it looks like. Or perhaps, more accurately, what it is supposed to look like. Is it even supposed to look like anything? Are all ministries supposed to look or feel the same? I highly doubt it, since the places in which and the people to whom we minister are all so vastly different.
But in reading Olivia's recent blogs, I was struck by how different sometimes the ministry at 614 (our Vancouver inner city congregation) is compared to, for example, the ministry at the Sunday evening congregation at Cariboo Hill Temple (suburbia), or even the congregation in New Westminster (somewhere between suburbia and inner city). I've heard people say that "We are The Salvation Army - we are supposed to be in the inner cities!" Fair enough, I suppose, though it makes me rebel and wonder why The Salvation Army would want to condemn 99% of our country to hell simply because they live in the more suburban areas (they absolutely don't want that, just to be clear).
And then I realized, it's not an inner city ministry thing, I am reading about a ministry that prays and sees many miracles, that does its best to love unconditionally, and that has a heart to love Jesus and follow Him to the Nth degree. I find that I am experiencing a bit of holy jealousy (if that's possible).
And then I wonder if perhaps the reason I see it in my friends at 614 or their experiences is because I'm removed from it and hearing pieces. If I were to step back from the ministries to which God has graciously allowed me to put my hand, would I see the same things? Would I witness the same passion, persecution, miracles, love and Presence?
Man, I hope so. Not for any glory of my own but rather to know that the Lord is at work, and that we are being faithful to what He has called us to do and to be. Maybe it's God's grace that we don't see these things in ourselves? Pride is such a powerful weapon of the enemy, and all too easily accepted by us.
No answers on this one. It just made me think. Thanks, Olivia.
