It was at breakfast that I heard the words that would once again propel me into living a life that is more like Jesus... It was at breakfast that I watched within myself old paradigms of doing ministry fall to the ground... It was a breakfast that I learned more about Jesus and his ways... And I found myself delighting in the Kingdom of God and how His ways are not our ways and they are higher and more beautiful and more true to the life I want to live every day...
But why was Breakfast so powerful?
It was because there was an opportunity that was laid out for many of us the evening prior at dinner and we missed it .....
It was the dinner before the last session of a conference and many were tired... we were all going to dinner together... attendees and speaker and event team. I love this group that we get to do life and ministry with... the inclusive nature and expression of their lives grows me all the time..... My past ministry experiences weighed heavily upon me as I sat across from a friend who was the one primarily ministering that weekend... I looked at him and saw he was tired... and in myself I thought .. this is why there are hospitality rooms.. this is why there needs to be a space for him to go and rest...
Directly next to him sat a precious woman who was attending the conference... a woman who it is the most earnest prayers of my being that she comes into contact over and over and over and over again with the love of God.... My friend was tired and she was desiring a conversation and again my mind raced with all the possibilities... how to navigate the table.. how to this .. how to that... as he engaged in conversation ...
Then we were all done but not exactly.... we were all done but this one person wasn't except we didn't notice.... we were thinking of praying before the evening session... we were thinking of the evening session.. many other thoughts were upon my mind as well.. there were those still at the restaurant that continued to engage and be with the woman ... But we had missed an opportunity......
That following morning sitting at the breakfast table.. my paradigm was going to pushed even further away from the ways and thoughts and opinions of man and I was going to flung further into the place that speaks life and notices the Zacchaeus' and the children and goes to their homes and doesn't shew them away...
That following morning I got further instruction into my heart how to see as Jesus sees... and have a heart that thinks and acts like Jesus would.... On the way to ministry Jesus would notice people.. even as those around Him wanted Him to hurry He would take the time... always taking the time.. .to see ... to know.. to see
As we processed through many things that happened that previous evening.. my friend spoke and he said that we needed to take a look at that scenario in the Mexican restaurant.... and how powerful of a message of love and acceptance and inclusion would it have spoken into that one attendee's heart if we had noticed her and sat back down and spoken words of worth into her that she is worth the time ....
It isn't the messages or ministry times that speak the loudest ... it is our lives.... it is our lives.. what we do day in and day out.. what we notice... how we live... what we partake in... do we shew the children away or do we take the time to sweep them into the presence of God....
Old things are falling away and the new is coming into me... and I couldn't be more grateful.. I am learning a new paradigm for leading and serving and ministry and the delight in my soul is that it looks more and more and more like Jesus...
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