Most of our society’s like a football game: a lot of people who desperately need exercise sit around and watch a small group of people who desperately need rest.
In an entertainment-driven culture, that’s how it works. We don’t take the risk and try things; we watch the experts do it for us. We get professional missionaries, specialized musicians, certified ministry leaders, and teachers with degrees. We accept without question or research whatever scripture interpretation is spoon-fed to us by the “authorities.”
For a lot of people, church and ministry are a spectator sport. It’s less about building a community and more about attracting a crowd.
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Our church has an area where folks can learn about different service opportunities. Last weekend Becky and I hung out and talked to people about FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR ’14. We had many great conversations, but among the most memorable were with individuals who approached slowly and asked, “Do you think I could do something this hard?”
For some that meant cycling 500 miles in a week. For others it meant fundraising or joining a close-knit team of strangers. “Hard” is an individual thing, but it always means leaving the shadows, daring to venture beyond the comfort zone, stepping out of the crowd and into the circle.
That takes guts.
“I’d LOVE to be part of something like this!”
And you want to say, “Well, then, what’s stopping you? Let’s go. Do it!” Except you remember that time, not so long ago, when your own dream seemed completely crazy and out of reach. You remember that deciding to follow a dream isn’t easy, that there’s a lifetime of experiences getting in the way.
So you try to listen and encourage. You hope the seeds of a relationship will grow. You hope a few folks will see that joining the circle is worth the risk, that it’s a whole lot more rewarding than sitting in the crowd.
It’s not about whether they join a bike tour. I’m confident God will bring together the right circle of people to support the kids at the HOME OF HOPE for a year. If one of them—or you—is meant to be there, it’ll happen.
This whole thing is about following God-sized dreams. It’s about demonstrating that possible is a really big space but you don’t discover what’s possible by watching others perform.
It’s fun to talk about this crazy dream. It’s fun to tell you about it, but let’s not pretend following dreams is a spectator sport.
I hope you take the risk, leave the crowd, and join the circle. Whether it’s getting involved with our ride or following your own dream, I hope you find where you were meant to serve and do a bunch of that.
It’s a blast!
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