Things get really dangerous (and very distorted) when we start to make the vision of God about us instead of God. One of the things that I love about the United Methodist Church is that our pastors itinerate. In other words, we move and are moved through a process of discernment. The bishop and cabinet match the gifts of the pastor with the needs of the church. Because of that our appointments are year to year. As a result, the church cannot be about me. Following the vision of God cannot solely be about the pastor. And I always need to be thinking about who is going to be following me at an appointment, even if I don't know who they are.
With this in mind, the vision of the church becomes about following God not a particular leader. We are all part of the vision process, as we link together with the past and move forward into the future.
Moses understood that the Promise Land was not about him. In fact, he never got to enter. As his term of leadership ended, Joshua picked up that mantle and moved the people forward.
When you think about following the vision and call of God, do you see it as being about you or do you see it as being about God?
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