Our Direction

What direction are you heading in these days? Are you sure? What markers are you using to follow your path or find your destination?

I’ve been on several trips in my life. With ASP mission teams I’ve been all over the Appalachian area of our country finding little towns and folks and homes way off the beaten path. Each trip I take I look at a map before I start the journey, finding routes and landmarks along the way. I want to make sure I will get where I intend to go (and I am one man who will stop and ask directions if I need them!).

Have you looked at any maps lately concerning your life? Where are you headed? Is that where you should be headed or planned to head? How would you know if you’re on the wrong path? How would you know if you’re headed in the direction you desire to be on in your life?

Have you ever set goals for your life? Goals can be like a road map for your life’s direction. When I travel I like to know things that I will pass as I approach my destination. This assures me that I’m headed in the right direction. It comforts me as I travel through life too.

What kind of goals might you set? As I pass middle age (just passed 50 a few years ago) the idea of looking back at the first half of my life means looking for those markers. Some of my markers were seeking God’s will for my life, getting my education, starting my career, getting married, starting a family, own my own home, living near our families, building a nest egg for the future, and more. All of these are important goals and ones that many of us might have as our goals. But, without Christ in my life, none of the other goals would have meant as much. I really mean that folks. All of the success (reaching my goals) wouldn’t mean much without the knowledge that Christ is my Lord.

What about our church? How do we know that it is headed where God would have it head? Are you placing all of your trust in the pastor (please don’t)? Do you place your trust in the elected leaders of the church? Shouldn’t we all be working toward the same goals as a church family? Shouldn’t we have a main focus and several shared goals?

In the next few months the church will begin to discern a 3-5-10 year plan for Mt. Oak Fellowship. We will start with a congregational gathering to hear general ideas and the heart of the people. Won’t you begin to pray about this journey and join in this endeavor? Where have we been? What are the road markers we have passed that reveal where we’ve been heading? On this course, where will we end up? Is it really where God wants us to be headed? What about the ministries God would want us to share at Mt. Oak? Are we about the ministry of Jesus Christ or about the ministry of what we want to do?

I hope these and other questions will stir your thoughts and cause you to come to the meeting. After this general meeting for ideas, I will suggest to the Church Council a group and ask them to name them as an Ad hoc group (perfecting the list if need be) to discern and hammer out God’s leading for us. They will report back to the Church Council to perfect the plan and then our church leadership will return to the congregation and share where God is leading His church. I pray we can celebrate this plan and rally around it for Jesus!

Start praying now for this process of discernment. Pray that Satan would not have even a foothold in the process. Pray that the people God would use to share His vision will be humble and seek His face. Make sure you’re there to help us unfold the past, present and future of the Body of Christ known as Mt. Oak Fellowship. God has much for us to accomplish in the short years He grants us. Let’s not waste time!