What would you do if you had a family of five, a good job in a quiet little town and you began to hear God whisper of eternal things, of powers beyond your imagination, and of dreams you dare not speak in mixed company? What would you do with your 401K, your Ph.D. from a prestigious private school, and your plans to provide for your family? The first thing you might do is bury your head in a pillow and hope it goes away!
But what if it doesn’t? What if God is persistant and eventually, despite all your objections and rational explanations as to why this is a very bad idea, God makes you offer you can’t refuse. What’s left other than to give in to grace and set aside the life you planned in order to take the road less travelled. Of course with Jesus now in our boat everything will be smooth sailing, right? Guess again. In fact, the Journey has just begun, and the hardest parts of the Journey are yet to be faced. Each day I question whether I’m up to the task, whether God somehow got confused, or whether giving up is really all that bad. But then each day I find that I’m one step close to home. As I’m finding out, there is a very good reason why this road is less travelled!
You will probably never meet anyone who is less impressed by the conventional way of doing things than I am, except perhaps in a mental instituation. I believe there is a huge difference between “tradition” and “traditionalism”. The former seeks to learn from the past and build upon it as a means to move confidently into the future, the latter seeks to retreat into the past because it is known and there is great comfort in predictability. But remember the words of Jesus, “you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” Mark 7:11
My goal and purpose at FUMC Williamstown is to remember the living Word of God in the context of this community and the broader Spirit of God in the world and to find pratical ways to apply it for those who want transformation not just entertainment.
I feel I’m an anomoly, a question mark and yet still a disciple. I know there is more to discover, way more, so I’m not afraid to ask, seek, or knock. If you choose to come along with me on this adventure, let’s walk a bit and share our thoughts, our stories, and our faith. Together we’ll open some doors we cannot open alone and challenge one another to go deeper into this mystery, listen to the still small voice, and experience the fullness of God.
Welcome aboard!
Aren’t you amazed? Amazed that the Hound of Heaven saw more in you than you ever imagined? Aren’t you amazed that God knew you and called you in spite of you “before you were born and while you were yet in your mother’s womb?” Aren’t you amazed that God truly is in control of everything? That He allowed you to go down one path with such surety and then said, “Excuse son, wrong way. You”ve gone far enough on this of ‘two roads that diverged in a wood’ to equip part of you for your life’s mission; but now it is time to take the other path, for I see in you a Joseph, a Moses, a Paul — so brace yourself — I’m going to take you on the ride of a lifetime.”
Aren’t you glad you took “the road less traveled by” — bumps and all. By the way, Shakespeare coined the word “bump”; and speaking of Shakespeare — in “Hamlet” Polonius says to his son, “This above all to thine ownself be true.” I think God could be saying the same thing to you, one of His children; and then I think He would also say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” for accepting the call I placed upon your heart. So, let me ask you something. Suppose you would have walked away from God? What would you be doing today and would you be able to look at yourself in the mirror? Aren’t you glad God took care of all of that for you? That, as the Hound of Heaven, He pursued you and kept you from making mistakes you would regret for the rest of your life. Also, which would you rather be doing — scientific experiments or saving souls for God? That’s a no-brainer, isn’t it? Aren’t you excited? I am excited for you! You’re called by God, and you KNOW you are called by God. He’s taking you on a Journey; you never know from one minute to the next what that Journey will invove. But you know one thing and that’s all you need to know — the Leader, the Captain of that Journey has promised you “I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” WOW! What a promise from the Captain — I’m so very glad you got in the boat!!!! And I thank you for inviting me to come aboard, and I most certainly will, for what more surety and certainty could there be for me — bumps and all — than to join you and your Captain on your adventure of a lifetime in your boat named Faith.
By: Prince's mom on May 17, 2008
at 8:11 pm