The above target has hung beside my desk in the dining room. It went to local board meetings as a reminder to STAY ON TARGET. ::wink:: It is a daily reminder to me to live a life of simplicity...with the challenges of local and regional ministry to focus on the Bull's Eye of the ministry. This boiled down to being sure I was Loving God and Loving Others and providing an atmosphere where women could experience and do the same. This past summer I traveled to Korea and Tokyo and shared how PWOC leaders must live a life of simplicity, aim for the bull's eye of our ministry. When assigned this topic, I KNEW my target would travel with me - and it did. Our ministry bull's eye: Lead women to Christ, Teach women on a solid foundation of worship and Bible study, Develop in women spiritual disciplines which lead to spiritual development, Involve women in the work of the Chapel in keeping with their abilities and interests. These goals will continue.
I packed it away at Christmas time and hung a Christmas countdown in it's place. I felt a twinge of sadness when I unpacked it. I considered not hanging it back by my desk. When I packed it away we had not heard the news yet that PWOC would be making big changes to their structure. The International and Regional leadership roles will go away on 28 Feb. I'm no longer an active local PWOC leader...did I really need to hang it back up?
In the end I did...because I will be faithful to this leadership position until the position ends...and then, I will continue to mentor those leaders who may choose to maintain contact with me. The calling will not go away because the structure of PWOC changes. Nevertheless, things ARE changing.....
And into this void, this void where God led, He is speaking something new....a new focus...and I'm o.k. The call to mentor, to intentionally make disciples will continue...regardless the framework or our location...because that is a command from God (Matt 28:19,20 among other places). I find in the crush of having to define ministry priorities to home, local and beyond (said in a space agey way) much face to face mentoring had to go. There has been mentoring...of leaders and that's been good. There's been informal mentoring and mentoring in Bible study care groups. But intentional mentoring of the next generation has taken a back seat...because I needed to focus on my family and with the leadership role and my family I was maxed out. In the past weeks I've had six young women ask me to mentor them. I'm not even in a Bible study. Many don't know me as they're new here. I spend each week with their kids. I'm listening and watching to see what God is doing. I know he isn't done with me just because structure has changed, we are moving, we will retire in 2 years, there may not be a PWOC at my next base.....the command to make disciples remains.
Yes, I rehung the target....and the center of it may change on 1 March....but it remains as a good reminder to seek His priorities in this last phase of regional service.
Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...
No comments:
Post a Comment