Monday, May 19, 2008

Down Means Up

Think that those of us in ministry are immune to the gravitational pull upward? I'm talking about the "force" or the "drive" that lures us into thinking that this world, and all of the opportunities it affords, exists to advance our personal agendas. Call it the "It's all about me" syndrome, even some of our modern expressions of spiritual life serve to bolster the notion that we can advance the cause of Christ while simultaneously looking out for our ambitious self-interests.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

As I reach the end of this 6-month sabbatical season, I'm tying together "learning threads", or themes that reflect what the Lord has been teaching me. Come to find out, my journey is anything but unique. The Lord has been teaching His people this since the Genesis. Rendered to the baseline, the message is, "It - this world and all that if affords - is NOT actually about you. It's about Me." Rick Warren points this out for those seeking a deeper purpose to life. In his classic book, Soul Survivor, Philip Yancey commented, "The great paradox which Scripture reveals to us is that real and total freedom can only be found through downward mobility. The Word of God came down to us and lived among us as a slave. The divine way is indeed the downward way." Others describe this process as "the downward journey" and that has become the lens through which I understand the past few years.

In the upcoming days, I will try to articulate this journey with increased clarity, and I will include important insights into Christian Associates that led me to join this movement. For those reading from security sensitive areas of the world, I will keep the verbage "safe" while ensuring that the story remains visceral. The experience has been anything but pleasant. It includes stages of death and dying which are difficult to cover up with flowery language. I have learned (and continue to learn) the hard way that it is, in fact, all about Him. Thanks for joining me on this journey...

2 comments:

Unknown said...

glad to see you again in the blogosphere... we've missed you but we'll be tracking with you here on out.

with you,

jandj

Unknown said...

i'm not actually JR and chelsea... not sure why my computer is signed in that way... this is jeremy and jessica!

peace