This is my farewell blog. I write each word to my family at the Singing Oaks church with all the love in my heart. I pray that in these words you find encouragement and inspiration to do just as Leroy Garret would say to us, “keep soldiering on.” And with that said …
The spring and summer is wedding season. Even though the summer is half over, there are still so many weddings on the horizon. It got me to thinking… What do you do after you say, “I do”?
YOU START DOING!
You don’t waste time trying to strategize your way to a win. It is strategy along with execution that wins the day. My brother says to me often that “if you study long, you just might study wrong.” Even worse, you get the condition known as paralysis by analysis. No, this is not a real medical term, but it is a great affliction nonetheless. It is so severe because it becomes a persistent threat to doing the work of The Lord. Idle hands and feet are no benefit to the kingdom of God; consequently the Kingdom becomes just a little bit less glorious.
Great teams don’t get in a huddle and talk about the play. They break the huddle and run the play. As each member does its part the team grows more and more into an unstoppable force. Selling out, giving your all and pushing your limits sets the table for greater and greater wins. So start doing it, your victory is waiting on you!
But what happens if the play is a bust? What happens if everyone doesn’t execute their part? Don’t be discouraged. Every play won’t be a touchdown. As a coach used to say to me, “just keep matriculating the ball down the field.” Why? Because the end zone will get closer. It’s comforting to know that Rome wasn’t built in a day. In fact, Rome is still being built. This iconic city became a wonderful place by the efforts of many. Its cost was blood, sweat and tears. Rightfully, history honors the many laborers who dedicated themselves to such a grand undertaking. It’s important to recognize the contributions of others. More important is our personal accountability to this question, “What am I building?”
We all have a part to play in a kingdom far more glorious than Rome. This kingdom is the Kingdom of God, The Church. And She deserves the very best that we can give her. Brick by brick she is becoming the most glorious kingdom this world has ever known. And her future glory requires your heart, head and hands.
There is a “newness” that comes from God for the glory of God. It is rooted in the same new life that we read about in Romans 6. With all the newness and refreshing that comes from our baptismal plunge, why would we want to hang on to every old thing. The future glory of God’s kingdom will require new ideas, new missions, new laborers and new vision to make the Kingdom of God all that it can be. Why would we settle for less? Why should God’s kingdom on earth reflect any less the glory of Heaven?
All of this will require faithfulness to God. Our fidelity, like that of Abraham, will lead us beyond the borders of all we have known. When we go beyond the boundaries of “comfort and convenience”, we will be stepping faithfully into a vast expanse with God that leads us to our promised land. So again I say, “soldier on”. And here is the final word, if I may borrow a line from Shannon Alder, the greatest adventures in life “always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone.”
GO. START. DOING!
“The best way to get something done is to begin.”
— Unknown
