re:create day four, part 2
So, possibly I’m a bit behind with the updating.
The final full day of the re:create conference included a profound communion experience led by Mike Lewis, aka the jesus painter, and worship leader Mark Roach, who participated in the conference alongside us. Beautiful. Some of the things about this week that moved me were not surprising. Some were. The sound of 100 worship leaders singing together continually wrecked me. There were not egos in the way…. there was nothing flashy, ever. There were, instead, open conversations about struggling with self-worth…. struggling with giving quality time to our families…. struggling in our relationships with God. This allowed for immediate, heartfelt responses when we sang songs that exalted God while acknowledging the paradoxical nature of our willing brokenness.
We heard from Ken Davis, a hilarious communicator who very humbly advised us to pay attention three huge things in our journeys in ministry. Three things, by the way, that cleared up some of the main questions I had written for myself while traveling to the conference:
- the opportunity to be the best [mom, dad, husband, wife] God calls us to be (a window of opportunity, by the way, that is only open for a while)
- the opportunity to really see the ministry/career God has put right in front of you (as opposed to always striving for the next…. the bigger… the better)
- the opportunity to cultivate the relationship God wants to have with you (honesty, openness, and dependence)
So. Where are you in those three opportunities?
More later….
tam… so far i’ve been a bit caught between having realistic expectations for what can be accomplished vs. wanting to try 437 new things in ministry and life in general.
but… I’ve become more aware of some specific things God is opening up in front of me. There’s no fanfare… just quiet revelation almost every day.
Wow!!! It’s becoming more and more clear that we need to go next year. At least Brent does! But I would love to as well!
So many things you wrote I was applying in my mind in the task of writing my book. And with such a poorly constructed sentence that was, it’s a surprise I’m even attempting to write a book at all… HAHA =o
It took me too long to get here to read your post recaps. I just wanted to make sure I could read them all and soak them in. Thanks for recapping for us!
Now that you’re back in the swing of things, how has the conference made a difference so far in your ministry?
mark… sometimes I think by even discussing these things, we position ourselves for more guilt. thanks for writing in a way that doesn’t do that! It’s almost as if you get that this is a process…. :)
Let’s see, Kim…
The opportunity to be the best Dad – Well, I still don’t have a “#1 Dad” coffee mug, so I guess I’m still a ways off on that one. It’s a constant battle of balance, isn’t it? I feel like I’m a good Dad, but I know I could always be better.
The opportunity to really see the ministry God has put before you – I should be good at this one, right? I’m so blessed, I’ve been signed to a record label doing what God has called me to do, and I’m also able to be at my home church… I’m terrible at this one. I constantly have to remind myself why I do what I do, and about the importance (or lack thereof) of the next thing I seem to find myself chasing.
The opportunity to cultivate the relationship God wants to have with me – well, who can really say they’re getting all A’s on this one? I feel better about this one than in recent years, though, for sure. I’m tenaciously spending time daily in His Word, tackling sins with the confidence of Christ, and feeling closer to Him than I have in a long, long time…
Ken was awesome… thanks for the blog and the opportunity to respond!
Many blessings!