Forward Motion

I feel like I am becoming more technologically savvy than I have ever been in my life. I ordered and installed our new DSL internet at our house, and I went out and bought a Magic Jack yesterday and...that's right, installed it myself! Who knows, I may even buy a palm pilot or one of those cell phones that does everything but dress me in the mornings. I'm on a roll!

Momentum is a funny thing. Just like me feeling less inept and more confident when it comes to some of those recent technological advances in my life (add this blog to that list by the way) we gain personal momentum in life and ministry when we begin to get some wins under our belts.

Let me give another example. I don't cook. I feel that I have made a successful run into and out of the kitchen when I leave with a bowl of cereal or a sandwich. That is about as far as my cooking experience has gone. However, my wife, Bethany, is feeling a little under the weather, so I strolled into the kitchen this morning and came out 45 minutes later with some freshly baked blueberry muffins and boiled eggs. Even more importantly, Bethany, who is an awesome cook, said that it was great! Well...what can I say? I feel like I am ready for the food network and to tackle Thanksgiving dinner for the family this year.

Maybe Thanksgiving dinner is going a little too far, but I think you get my point. With a little experience and some successes, my confidence has been boosted and I feel less intimidated by the electronics section at the store and the stove in our kitchen.

Notice the picture in the top right of a speeding train. When thinking about forward motion and momentum I thought of a train, partly because every hour, trains pass right through the city of Clinton and about 100 yards from our house. When a train starts rolling, it would take only a small wooden block or a couple of cement blocks to stop its progress. However, that same train, going at full speed, could break through many layers of concrete walls and take nearly a mile to come to a complete stop. What changed? It isn't the strength of the concrete or the weight of the train. It is the momentum factor.

Whether business or ministry leaders we find that much of our time is spent dreaming. We spend much time and paper writing down goals, plans and strategy. However, as my friend Kevin Bordeaux has said on his blog "Starting a Movement", there is a difference between artists and architects. Things must not stay on paper forever. There are many people (me included) who find it much easier to dream and talk with friends and fellow ministry leaders about the way things should/could be in the Church or in our personal lives. It is fun to talk about those things that we dream about while sitting at Starbucks as our creative juices start flowing along with the expensive coffee. It is also one thing to look at our office/guest room at our house seeing the mountains of boxes, books and clothes, but quite another to begin organizing the room one step at a time.

"One step at a time" - that is the word that we need to receive. So what are those baby steps that we can take? 1)Commit the plans and dreams to God through prayer; 2)While committing the matter to prayer, if you feel released, then share it with a handful of close friends and mentors; 3)Allow God to form, mold and refine the dreams or plans any way that He chooses --(remember that the Lord is the master builder: Psalm 127:1); 4)Through prayer and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, the Lord will begin to show you steps to take that will clearly communicate the vision and move you forward with favor and momentum.

As I celebrate one year as pastor of children and youth ministries here at Clinton First Pentecostal Holiness Church I am simply amazed and thankful for what the Lord has done in 12 months. The Lord gave me that clear word not long after coming to Clinton: "Celebrate small fruit!" Yes, even the ones that you have to get a magnifying glass out to see. Celebrate small wins and small victories because they will add up and will move you and the ministry that God has placed you in, forward with true momentum for His glory and the up-building of His kingdom. Take no steps that require no faith. Keep pressing on in the midst of discouragement and through bumps and inconsistencies that hinder outward momentum! Keep walking in obedience! Keep trusting in the Lord! Keep the faith!