Carte Blanche

A clean sheet. A good exercise now that summer's coming. For our lives as people and in community with others – especially in where we're going in life and where we are going as church. I was speaking to a younger colleague, not long into pastorate. Really committed and full of energy. And as I listened to him describe his life, it struck me how much of this highly gifted person's time and talents were channelled into keeping the show on the road. Now, that's no bad thing. As long as the show is going somewhere. It's true for all of us involved in the life of church service. It is absolutely right that we invest ourselves, as Christians, in serving the life and ministries of the church. But at the same time, we have a responsibility, both individually and as congregation, to stop and ask, 'where is this going and what is it doing?'. We all tend to go 'off track' every now and again. Lose the plot. That's when we need to sit down with a Bible, talk and pray together, asking how the Holy Spirit would lead us deeper into the name and path of Jesus Christ. To look again at the life and calling we have as disciples of Jesus, and ask ourselves, 'Are we going in the right direction?'. Don't assume that the answer will be 'yes'. Rather, look for the correctors that are true to the path of missionary discipleship that we are called upon, in the witness of lives possessed of holy integrity, serious service of others and joyful readiness to explain this 'God rule' that has come into our lives.