Each morning at 7 AM we meet with our entire mission staff to start the day with a scripture, a thought and a time for interaction. This leads into a time of corporate prayer, followed by a time to coordinate our day’s work and address any issues or needs the different departments have.
As a Christian mission it is likely pretty natural to start our day out with a time of devotion and prayer, but since many of our staff are engaged in projects to assist with the longer term sustainability of the mission through income generation, and others are engaged in producing food for our orphan and child feeding programs, while others are trying to get building projects finished, there is the pressure to get everyone to work and to be productive. But because we believe, as the psalmist wrote, that “unless the Lord builds the house, its laborers labor in vain,” we sense a desperate need for God’s hand to help in the many and overwhelming challenges we are constantly faced with. And we set aside this early morning time to live out this reality.
Interestingly, as I read a book on the Leadership secrets of Rudy Giuliani, the mayor of New York on 9/11, he made the point that regardless of all the pressures his key people faced, he required that they all meet with him every morning for a briefing. This meeting each morning, he said, set the tone for the kind of communication, coordination and cooperation that would ensure success. This reinforced for me yet another important reason for our morning times together, even though it feels like it takes away from our “productive” work time.
This past week I was encouraged to hear the thoughts each morning as a visiting nursing team from the Prairie College of Arts and Technology shared with us. Each is graduating from a two year LPN program and their time with us is a part of their final practicum requirement.
As one young lady shared, she told about a time in her younger life when she ran away from home, and although she did not go into detail about her life at that time, she simply shared that she had been away for quite awhile with no contact with her parents at all. One night as she walked down the street, she recalls, “at the end of my rope”, “I stopped at a pay phone and called home.” It was the middle of the night, but the phone only rang once and her father was on the other end. Within ten minutes he was there to pick her up. She shared how much she felt this was like God… just waiting for us to take the time to call on him.
As this young lady finished sharing her story, I could not help but reflect on the overwhelming love and often desperate desire I as a father (so far from my kids) have to help my two children. I am sure many parents can identify with that. So the encouragement for me is this…if I am that passionate and that concerned and that desirous to intervene and help my own children, how much more must God share in these feelings. But, as a father, I am slowly learning something... I have to wait for them to invite me in, or I am just an interfering meddler who would not be helping at all. And although there are such limitations for me as an earthly father (even if I had lots of money), the only limitation for God is the invitation, because He really does have all the power in the world to “build the house”.
As a Christian mission it is likely pretty natural to start our day out with a time of devotion and prayer, but since many of our staff are engaged in projects to assist with the longer term sustainability of the mission through income generation, and others are engaged in producing food for our orphan and child feeding programs, while others are trying to get building projects finished, there is the pressure to get everyone to work and to be productive. But because we believe, as the psalmist wrote, that “unless the Lord builds the house, its laborers labor in vain,” we sense a desperate need for God’s hand to help in the many and overwhelming challenges we are constantly faced with. And we set aside this early morning time to live out this reality.
Interestingly, as I read a book on the Leadership secrets of Rudy Giuliani, the mayor of New York on 9/11, he made the point that regardless of all the pressures his key people faced, he required that they all meet with him every morning for a briefing. This meeting each morning, he said, set the tone for the kind of communication, coordination and cooperation that would ensure success. This reinforced for me yet another important reason for our morning times together, even though it feels like it takes away from our “productive” work time.
This past week I was encouraged to hear the thoughts each morning as a visiting nursing team from the Prairie College of Arts and Technology shared with us. Each is graduating from a two year LPN program and their time with us is a part of their final practicum requirement.
As one young lady shared, she told about a time in her younger life when she ran away from home, and although she did not go into detail about her life at that time, she simply shared that she had been away for quite awhile with no contact with her parents at all. One night as she walked down the street, she recalls, “at the end of my rope”, “I stopped at a pay phone and called home.” It was the middle of the night, but the phone only rang once and her father was on the other end. Within ten minutes he was there to pick her up. She shared how much she felt this was like God… just waiting for us to take the time to call on him.
As this young lady finished sharing her story, I could not help but reflect on the overwhelming love and often desperate desire I as a father (so far from my kids) have to help my two children. I am sure many parents can identify with that. So the encouragement for me is this…if I am that passionate and that concerned and that desirous to intervene and help my own children, how much more must God share in these feelings. But, as a father, I am slowly learning something... I have to wait for them to invite me in, or I am just an interfering meddler who would not be helping at all. And although there are such limitations for me as an earthly father (even if I had lots of money), the only limitation for God is the invitation, because He really does have all the power in the world to “build the house”.
3 comments:
Awesome Dwight. Sometimes I feel so "alone" as a new widow. I've been a Christian many years and my head knowledge says God is there for me, but I feel very alone and abandoned at times. Especially, special occasions when families gather. Even the start of this beautiful summer has me in lostness. I opened my Bible and was reminded of God's promise to sustain us. So it's going by faith no matter how rough the road may be.
God bless you Dwight and Lynn.
Ida Taylor
insightful, dad
Reminds me of Isaiah 65:24 (which was also in the fathers' day card I gave you) - "Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."
Post a Comment