Dear Trekker,
What Kingdom challenge is possible for us to tackle in 2014? Hopefully, every trekker is responding to the leading of the Spirit and growing more responsible to the call of God upon his (or her) life. I reflect (as I write) on OT prophet Micah’s recording of God’s generic outline for all generations of men: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to have mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
A trekker instinctively accepts such challenge as a life pursuit, and “works out his own salvation with fear and trembling” – (St. Paul’s challenge to Philippian trekkers). Recently a fellow trekker forwarded this prayer by Sir Francis Drake, well-known sea captain and privateer, revealing not only his little known Christian heritage, but his desire to be a spiritual entrepreneur in 1577: “Disturb us Lord, when we are too well-pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us Lord when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity. Disturb us Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall fine the stars…” Is such a prayer applicable in 2014? I think it is.
Early this morning I was arrested in my daily reading with this admonition from Proverbs 3:21-26. “Have two goals: wisdom, that is, knowing and doing right, and common sense. Don’t let them slip away for they fill you with living energy, and bring you honor and respect. They keep you safe from defeat and disaster and from stumbling off the trail. With them on guard, you can sleep without fear; you need not be afraid of disaster or the plots of wicked men, for the Lord is with you; he protects you.” As I copy these proverbs, I reflect on James’ reminder, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (Trekker, read all of James, Chapter 1. Wisdom abounds!) James 1:22 says explicitly, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
So…a spiritual entrepreneur makes things happen for Christ and His Kingdom in 2014! He (or she) “goes out on a limb” for Jesus, sensing a calling to His purpose and fulfillment. A successful entrepreneur must know who he is in Christ… where he’s been, what his gifts and capabilities are, where he is going, and why he does what he does. His constant prayer must be, “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.” All of us must be aware the spirit of our age has much to live with and too little to live for. We must not “fall in love with life” (re: Drake’s prayer), but with the Lifegiver, seeking only to do the will of the Father. A Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard’s challenge is applicable here: “The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wants me to do… the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die.” As I write, John 15:13 captures my heart as an old soldier and spiritual entrepreneur: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
So how does one become a spiritual entrepreneur in 2014! I see four distinct phases of preparation. The first is, become a dreamer! What might be? There are two types of dreams for believers… those unconscious ones during our sleep which God allows or gives for a purpose. For now, lay aside such dreams. Then there is the conscious, imaginative kind, the “what ifs.” This is the kind which launches spiritual entrepreneurs. Dreaming outside the box, the mind’s imagination runs fast to keep pace with the heart! Have a we “are not getting done what we might do” attitude! Form creative ideas! I like Dr. Ben Carson’s (renowned former pediatric neurosurgeon, a Christian, at Johns Hopkins) acronym, THINK BIG! (Google it… you’ll be rewarded.)
Secondly, we must become a thinker… we must flesh out our dreams! Dreams become reality only through sound wisdom and common sense on how to make things happen. We must bring dreams to life! We make implementable plans; traditional elements of a business plan make common sense, too, in the spiritual domain. Speaking from my own experience of multiple “start-ups” in the Kingdom: Seek always to fill a need; don’t create “something new” unless you have to; use all available resources; usually redundancy in spiritual entrepreneurship is not required; pray and plan to stay! And make sure one’s mind is renewed by the Spirit on an ongoing basis, a Pauline admonition surely worth noting.
Thirdly, we must share our dreams, hope and vision by “telling the story.” Salesman, marketeer, or entrepreneur must be a good story teller. “Good news” must be shared passionately, persistently, and timely. Whether our “message” is accepted or not often relates to how much others believe we believe. Good storytelling sets up team building, buy-in and prayer and funding to launch a mission!
Finally, we must execute the mission, the challenge of the leader. Leaders/executives must function with a sense of calling, purpose, responsibility and capability. Leaders know they can make a difference, with a “follow me” attitude about life and challenge. “Coming alongside” as the Spirit empowers us is a foundational concept of leadership. Such qualities superintend accomplishment and accountability… and are the essence of wisdom and common sense. The deeper we become immersed in Kingdom thinking the more we see a partnership between God and our own due diligence in carrying out His commission, great tasks and small alike.
So, trekker, how does one get started? Become a son of God in the interior, identify Kingdom issues and solutions you can commit to, and move out! Giving is what we do best, the reason for our birth. Our life is intended for others… this is the creation cycle. Spiritual entrepreneurs risk themselves on the untried wings of giving. I like the words of Eugene Peterson’s (noted pastor and author of “The Message”) … “… the sooner we start (giving) the better, for we are going to have to give up our lives finally, and the longer we wait the less time we have for the soaring and swooping life of grace.” (“Run with the Horses”)
Join me in spiritual entrepreneurship in 2014! Stay tuned, in touch, praying for one another!
Your friend,
Jim Meredith
