Thoughts Setting Like A Sun

I swing the door open with my foot and sidestep out in the cold. One hand* carries a chair from our dining table and the other clutches a thick book full of thoughts and ideas begging to be explored. I am tired of being inside all the time. I want to breathe fresh air and feel some breeze, however cold it is. I want to feel sun on my face, even if most of its heat is going other places on the planet (like, say, San Diego). It's pretty much sunset time, although this time of year it's hard to tell just when that begins.

I draw up the chair to the south edge of the porch, plop down, and wrap my neck in a long scarf. Snow covers the grass in patches, and the sun is dripping down through the bare branches above the
fence. With bare fingers I open the book and resume my learning. 

God has gifted everyone uniquely for the missional movement of the church. Some are apostles, visionaries who bring renewal of the gospel in new contexts. Some are prophets who call us to faithfulness to God, for integrity and purity. Some are evangelists, who can effectively communicate and resemble good news, drawing people toward the movement. Some are shepherds, helping the community of God love one another and directing them toward spiritual growth. Some are teachers, who provide situations for God's people to hear God's true voice and respond, equipping them and maturing them. Combine them all in a listening and collaborative environment and the church has great potential for movement.

I think of our small group and I want so badly for us to grow into this kind of dynamic movement of God. I want to tell them what I am imagining and hoping for us. I want to do that at our next group, but nobody can make it to our gathering tomorrow. Even so, what would I say? Do I stand up in our living room with a whiteboard and tell them how I want it to be? Or is that missing the point? Maybe my dreams are just dreams, nothing more.

The sun sits like a cozy cat on the fence, but its warmth is inaccessible to me; it disappears behind a cloud. I lean back in my chair, stretch my neck and pull on my gloves. 

*When was the last time you thought about your hands? Aren't they amazing? Ten independent fingers that can grab things for you, write, type, play, feed, feel, work, shake, point and create. They're an incredible extension of the brain. Next time you're doing something with your hands, don't take them for granted. Do it slowly and think about how awesome your hands are!