Jim Walton of Church Tech Matters twittered yesterday “…..what is wrong with me? Why do I have little interest to continue playing church? it seems there is so much more and I want that”

This is very similar to the challenge I’ve thrown at myself in the quietness of my own head many a time and even blogged about at least once in my early days. Unfortunately I don’t know the answer and I don’t have an answer for Jim other than to hang on in there and keep seeking.

For my part I thought I had the answer. No, let’s rephrase that … I know I have the answer to my woes but I’m being hampered by my inability (for I don’t want to blame any one else) to get others to understand or perceive the need as I see it. So instead I, unusually for me, withdrew into my shell and I spend my Sunday mornings being a useless lump thinking “there has to be more than this”.

Then my very good friend (Steve) and worship director of our Church stirred the pot with one of our many ‘chats’ and we started to dissect what was wrong. The problem was actually very easy to identify … we’ve become traditional but that doesn’t bring us any closer to an answer. For sure we’ve discussed many possibilities – Cafe Church for one, reducing the amount of time we spend in praise and worship, breaking up the service into smaller slots such that our attention spans aren’t challenged, making it more interactive and so on. The trouble is, this is just two long term members chewing the fat – until the management see the issue then nothing will get done. We’re working on that one.

The one thing I perhaps would say to Jim (and myself) is to go back and look at words spoken over your life. Especially the ones you are still waiting to come true. Re-evaluate them, re-seek God for the in and outs of them. How does God want them to work out? Do you know? Spend time talking to trusted friends (and family). Spend time talking to God but most of all (and here’s where I frequently slip up) leave time for God to talk back!

Many moons back when I first became a christian I was given a prophecy over my life. At the time I thought “yeah right, that isn’t going to happen” but I’d always been brought up to never discard any ideas how ever wacky! So it got added to my mental shelf of “things to be aware of” – years down the line I’m in a leadership position and the word has come to be. Or had it?

Yesterday, my friend Steve turned to me and said “God needs me to tell you not to give up on the word about leadership. The time is now and if I don’t act on it then it’ll be lost to the Kingdom”. Wow! Do I have a clue what this means for now – not a hope of it.

So Jim, welcome aboard the confusion train