Why I’m a compass person and not a map reader
My strongest strength is almost certainly futuristic. It is the one strength that I don’t seem to be able to switch off. Rarely a day passes me by where I am not having thoughts about and ideas for the future. I love getting lost in another world of creative thoughts. I can be walking down the road, listening to my iPod, and yet really I am not present - I’m in the future. Of course, I have way too many ideas and some healthy filtering reguarly has to take place to ensure I’m not endlessly going down rabbit trails. And because another strength of mine is activator, when I want an idea to start to become a reality, I want that to happen NOW! It can be a great combination, but it can also be a dangerous combination.
Because of this strong future orientation, it might be tempting to assume that I’m one of those people who has 5, 10, and 15 year plans nailed down. But this really isn’t the case. I can see that there is value in doing something like that, but I also think they can be very limiting. We live in such a rapidly changing world that I’m not sure it’s even possible to have a 15 year plan any more. Even one year can be pushing it.
The other thing is that it is difficult to have long-term plans when you are entering into the unknown. This is why, I believe, heart and values need to have priority over plans. I know this isn’t for everyone, but the life I feel called to live is one that leads down paths that don’t exist yet; terrains that have not been crossed before. I am to walk into the realms where there are no maps and the only aid is a compass.
I had a picture in my minds-eye recently of someone hacking their way through unchartered jungle with a machete. He was going where no one else had gone before and clearing a way for others to follow. That’s what I feel my life is about. And that’s what I feel Mosaic - the community of faith I lead - is all about. It’s a huge adventure living a life which is all about journeying into the unknown. But it can be a lonely one too. Innovators and pioneers are rarely understood and often critisised. If that’s my lot though, I’m more than happy to take it!
A lot of people ask me about our plans for Mosaic. How many people do we hope to have by Christimas? Where are we going to be in one years time? Five years time? Are we going to buy a building? The questions are all fair for people to be asking, but the truth is, I don’t have answers to their questions. And - to be honest - I much prefer it when people ask about our heart and values. I can’t tell you exactly where we’ll be this time next year, but I can tell you what’s at the heart of what we’re doing.
I would rather be a slave to some values and a strong ethos than I would be to some plans. Sure I make plans. And yes, we do have a clear sense direction with Mosaic. But we hold any plans with an open hand, choosing to trust God to lead us step by step. It’s riskier and involves a lot of uncertainty, but aren’t we who claim to follow in the footsteps of Christ called to live by faith?
What do you think?
technorati tags: the future now, strengths, faith
October 9th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
works for me. btw, love the photo, can you send me a hi-res copy?
October 10th, 2006 at 9:06 am
Sure…I’ll email it to you.
October 10th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
hey Sam!
Thanks for the comment! To answer your questions– seminary is HARD!!! We just got off a 1 week fall break though which was nice…
And as for the wireless.. no i never figured out how to add a password. Oh well.. I guess people can just bum internet off us!
have a great day with Jesus!
October 12th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Thanks for stopping by Jessica!
Hearing you say that seminary is hard makes me happy that God never opened the door for me to go!! (Normally, I’m jealous that I didn’t get to go!) I’m sure you’ll survive though…what are the main subjects you’re covering at the moment?
I’ll ask Steve (aka Breathe Fire) about the wireless security as he’s familiar with macs.
October 12th, 2006 at 10:05 pm
If only we spent more time asking each other “about our heart and values”.
Planning is good and has a place, but I’d much rather rest in the Master Plan than spin my wheels trying to make it happen!
Good thoughts Sam,
V.
October 13th, 2006 at 10:04 am
Good to hear from you Vivian…thanks for stopping by! How’s the Alpha course going?
October 13th, 2006 at 1:28 pm
Great! Thanks for asking….I still lurk around your site pretty regularly, just not been posting or commenting much. It takes up so much time!
Have you seen this thread on our Alpha site?
http://rccalpha.voxtropolis.com/2006/09/28/who-is-jesus/#comments
October 13th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
Yeah, I’ve been following that a little. I have a big interest in Alpha has all my family are very involved with it. My sister used to be the events coordinatior at Holy Trinity Brompton (home of the Alpha course) until she had kids, and my sister-in-law used to the the Alpha coordinator at HTB too (again, until she had a baby last year). Also, my parents have run Alpha in their church from a number of years now and are now running it reguarly in Leicester’s high security prison. It definitely seems to be a tool that God is working through to draw people to Himself. I love the way that it’s not about any one person or church; its a simple resource that anyone can engage with. I’ll be praying that many good things continue to happen through your course!
October 13th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
I’m not sure that Alpha is a tool that anyone can engage with. It is a very middle-class tool that seems to alienate the working class. However, the same can be said of much of Church life. I also find Alpha very prescriptive; if you believe this you’re in, if not you’re out. Still, having said that, it does seem to bring a lot of people to Christ, albeit in a very limited way.
October 13th, 2006 at 2:37 pm
I’m interested to hear more of what you have to say ministir…
We put on the course in an area where the community is invited in. Many of those in the community are ‘working class’…most living barely at or around the poverty line in Canada. Many are on Social Assistance from the government.
How, in your mind, is Alpha not for that group?
I’m just very curious since that is the group we have.
Are there more effective ways / tools you have seen?
Thanks for your feedback,
V.
October 13th, 2006 at 2:40 pm
I used to actually share your view about it being a middle-class tool but after attending the European and African Alpha conference last November I changed my mind. I was able to interact with many church leaders from all sorts of denominations who were using Alpha in some of the poorest European and African nations. They adapt the format to work with their cultures and have seem tremendous fruit as a result. Will it work for everyone? Not at all! Is it something that God is using in multiple contexts? Undoubtedly.
Don’t get me wrong. Alpha is not perfect. There are things - if I created it - I would have done differently. But I do see God using it and it does seem to be a format through which I have seen many people have genuine encounters with Christ. And to me, that’s what matters.