Trailblazer

Pastor here today.  Enjoying a chance to share a few thoughts.

Saw this sign yesterday... 

man, for some reason I wanted to pull out all of my hair and my eyeballs when I saw it.  If you've seen me in the last decade, you're probably aware that my hair is coming out just fine on its own.  It doesn't need my help.  I am aware of this.

make sure you understand.  i'm not knocking how the church used to be done.  want to celebrate all that's happened in it and through it.  God's changed something inside of me.  i want to scream at this church because i want to fight, claw, clamor and cuss (if necessary... although probably not necessary)... to pursue the church being more... better... richer... different...  again, not taking away from tradition, but not wanting to settle any more.  ready to fight... for more.

before I continue this battle I need to wrestle with two questions that I sensed the Lord laid on my heart yesterday.

the first one has been bouncing around in my brain for the last few weeks, but yesterday it punched me in the chest when I saw this.

over the summer I felt convicted, invited and challenged to practice Sabbath.  by practice I mean celebrate.  not sure what happened.  the urgency and passion seemed to flicker away in some ways.  not completely though.

God even tells us to give the land a rest... even those who don't follow the Lord see the value in this.  the question was... "Remember the Sabbath, Adam?  What are you going to do about it?"  didn't receive it as any condemnation.  felt more like an invitation to delight, to rest, to restore, to receive more of Him.  still processing.

the other question also hit me while walking yesterday.

I walked on the path much of the way.

 part of the time I blazed my own trail.

blazing my own trail wasn't quite as easy...  mud, muck, stickers... much resistance, but it was also taking me to places others had not been.

sensing the Lord asking me if I'm going to follow the path... follow someone else's trail, or am I going to blaze some new trails.  i don't sense that there is sin in answering either way.

in the past I've always been one to follow an existing trail.  I do want to support the leaders above me.  I want to further clear the path; however, sensing it might be time for me to blaze some new trails... do many things very differently.

my shoes are already dirty... already moving in this direction.  might as well keep on pushing through... keep on blazing.  no telling what will happen.  excited to see though.