Trailblazing

You know that feeling when you end up somewhere you didn't expect to be but it turns out that it's a good thing? I never planned on getting really drawn into stewardship at Trinity, but I have apparently wandered onto this path through the forest and SURPRISE! Here I am. A whole new connection level for Mark and I. From what I can tell he's pretty excited about it. Maybe just because it's a passion of his and he's excited to see an intern with an edge for it.

I've hiked a lot growing up on family camping trips. My parents taught me to recognize the trail blazes and to make sure we were following the right on so we knew which path we were on and weren't getting lost. As Paul and I talked about leadership in the midst of not having things "figured out" (because that's a myth that things will ever be "figured out") I asked where the grace was in that which gives strength to keep leading. That's when we talked about trailblazing. There's one goal (though we didn't verbalize it, in my mind I named it Christ) and lots of ways to get through the forest to that goal; different trail blazings, paths that cross or parallel. The grace that comes is in trusting that first of all there is a path through the forest (God provides for God's people). Along the path through the forest grace comes in seeing the kingdom of God here in the now. Not as a teaser or quick taste, but in its fullness and reality. It's hard to describe what it looks like, but you know it when you see it--
when people love and care for each other
when an old man sells the car he's saved up for all his life and really loved and cared for, wiping it down after each drive, polishing it inside/out so that he can care for his wife--"what is a car compared to another day with my wife?"
when paths meet and community is shared in Christ's name.

Our calling is to work together in bringing more kingdom into the now. Which leads me back to this surprising place of stewardship. Didn't see this bend in the path coming, but what a unique opportunity to bring more kingdom into the now.