It’s hard for me to believe it’s been so long since I published anything here. Life gets busy and when one has too many irons in the fire something has to give. In this case, this backwater blog has been neglected. PWM Photography, however, has been updated a few times. It’s easier to grab a few pics I’ve taken and toss them up than it is to think up anything someone might read.
The downside to busyness is the probability of one ending up on the smoldering edge of burnout. Going, going, going eventually leads to gone, should one not find a way to stop and “smell the roses”, listen for “the still, small voice” or otherwise get a respite from activity.
But who’s to care? Who will step in and say “Hey, brother, you need to take a break!”? Growing up, as we did, between continents and cultures means that the “normal” acquisition of meaningful friendships fell along the wayside somewhere. We are welcomed pretty much everywhere, but nowhere are we sought out for who we are, for the friendship we offer is rarely or never reciprocated.
I look at ministries I’m familiar with that have ended in disgrace for one or another reason and am reminded that one must keep eternally on guard against one’s own moral frailty. The question is – “How does one raise up a team that will help one stay focused on the goal and the necessary processes of reaching that goal?” This is an area I’ve struggled with over the years, to the point of no longer pursuing it. Why? Every time we’ve sought a congregation willing to oversee and encourage us in our work we’ve been turned down. One time we spent several months thinking we were building a solid relationship with a group of elders only to be turned down from our request that they help provide oversight to our work – and they quit supporting our work because we had no congregation providing such oversight. THAT one really hurt, and lead to a distrust of elected “leaders” in local congregations in general.
So, now what? Well, we continue on doing our best to fight the good fight, to stay true to the vision we have of service to our Lord and Savior by serving His people as best we can. We do our best to provide encouragement to all we can and words of warning when we see someone in our sphere of influence who needs to get back on course. And we try to keep our eyes on Christ, even when we feel alone in the battle. Often I’m reminded of Elijah’s words (roughly paraphrased here) “Lord, just kill me already because I’m all alone and no one else stands firm for You.” And the answer from the Lord: “Buck up! I’ve got 7,000 who have not bowed their knees to Baal – and I’ve still got work for you to do!”
So, to those “7,000” – keep your eyes on the Lord. Take time to rest and care for yourself. The Lord’s not finished with any of you until He takes you home. Stay firm in your commitment to not be conformed to the world around you but rather transformed through the renewing of your mind. The Lord WILL see you through!
