What We Were Meant For

I'm in sunny Salem, Oregon for a few days for our annual denominational conference. The weather is in the 80's and it's always good to see old friends...getting older.

At least I'm not the only one aging...gracefully...I hope!

Last night's service was excellent, a completely different format than past opening meetings for our conference. It was less formal and much more laid back. However, a wonderful sense of God's presence permeated the place. There was an interview with the Monty Williams, the assistant coach of the Portland Trailblazers - a strong Christian. We also had our national treasurer for the denomination as our keynote last night, Doug Clay. His message was inspiring and encouraging. After speaking my own Sunday morning messages I go through a process of evaluation. This past weekend was no exception. Of note, the more Clay spoke last night, the better I felt about Sunday's message. No, it wasn't because Clay spoke poorly but rather the reverse! While he didn't use any of the following words, the short version of his message in a nutshell is that each of us is a tool in God's tool chest; go forth and be used the way you were meant to be used.

I'm already looking ahead to this weekend at Faith. In this weekly process in my life, I'm "going forth to be used the way I was meant to be used."

Here are some questions for all of our lives today:

What are the processes in our lives that lead to growth (spiritual, physical, professional, etc.)?
What has God created us to be?
How will we "go forth" to be used by Him to be what we were meant to be?

Be encouraged! Even in the midst of these hard economic times, God is at work in our lives and community - whether we perceive it or not. The "word" that I received last night was that "the most amazing days of life and ministry are just ahead!"

I'm believing for more...so that I will see more...