This past week was elk hunting time in Colorado. For countless individuals (myself included) blaze orange became the attire of choice and many, many hours were spent scanning hillsides for movement and the opportunity to fill a freezer with meat. My dad and father-in-law accompanied me and together we braved the elements to chase after the elusive creatures.
Well, after several days of hunting, the elk won. With the promise of only having beef to eat for the next year I decided to write about something that impacted my hunt for the first time ever: the calling that I have experienced in regard to ministry leadership. You see, although I've been involved with ministry for the past 10 years, this is the first hunting season that I have been part of as a lead pastor. Everything's different. In the past, I've been able to relegate my "job" to the backburners of thought and I was able to give full concentration to the hunting experience. While in the woods, I could leave "work" behind and enjoy the great outdoors without a thought of the responsibilities left behind. This is simply no longer the case.
Again and again I was reminded of the fact that I had a sermon to prepare; I would find myself mulling over the passage (this week is Joshua 3:9-13...God stays ahead of His people in the adventures to which He calls them) and thinking of points and ideas and interesting illustrations. In fact, some of the examples used in my sermon this week extend directly out of thoughts obtained on the side of a mountain. It was a struggle to spend just a couple days away from sermon prep and meeting with the people in my congregation.
So why the change? I'm not quite sure. Maybe it's a renewed sense of responsibility as to the gravity of the calling. Maybe it has something to do with the pure joy of getting into God's Word and discovering the depth of the text and the immense beauty of God's promises. I love hunting. I love being in the woods...the quiet of dawn and the soft-sound of snow falling on aspen leaves. I love the stalk and meeting other hunters; I love the camaraderie of the gun culture. The reality is I love Jesus more. It's simple...I love God more than the pleasure of campfires, early mornings, and gun cleaning solution (Hoppe's #9). It makes me think of the movie Chariots of Fire when Eric Little, British Olympian and Follower of Jesus describes the feeling he has when he runs: "I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure". He knew that he was doing exactly what he was designed to do. When I preach, when I serve, when I walk alongside Calvary Baptist Church, I feel God's pleasure. I feel as if I am accomplishing something of eternal worth; I love serving God in the way I was designed to serve.
So this week, I want to encourage you to continue to discover the ways in which you were designed to live. And as you do, strive towards a place where God's pleasure can be sensed and His glory can be felt in your actions. So feel safe elk, I'll go hunting again next year for another few days...I'll spend the next 361 days doing everything else that God has planned for me to do.
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