I couldn’t believe this was real, as I took a moment to process that I was sitting in the OKC Children’s Hospital cancer wing, trying to keep my daughter somewhat quiet while our friends circled around us to pray over Zion and her upcoming cancer removal surgery. I was terrified, but as I watched our community wrap around us, I knew that I wasn’t alone.
One of the biggest blessings I received, as part of our church’s 60th birthday celebration team, was the stories we heard. Our meetings typically began with a personal story of how the people of Council Road had impacted lives. My eyes were teary at some point in every meeting, each of us amazed at how the saints of our church have faithfully carried the torch lit by the Holy Spirit over 60 years ago. In these stories, we saw the power and purpose of the Church over and over.
Patsy and Troy Clark were married for 61 years and faithful members of Council Road for over 20 years. Patsy, and their three children cared for Troy the last four years of his life. Now as Patsy enters a new phase of life, she has shifted her focus of service, and started an official Council Road Widow’s Group.
What does a “life on mission” really look like? We hear this phrase or one like it regularly in Christian circles. But, what does it really look like? It is different for each follower of Christ, depending on your gifts and talents, but there should be some underlying similarities that we find in scripture. I also believe a “life on mission” changes as we age, grow, and follow Christ. We all know the Great Commission, but do we live it out or just recite it with our mouths? “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).
I am a conflict avoider. I know it isn’t the wisest response in all situations, so sometimes even I have to step into a conversation I would rather not have. The picture above is a case in point. For months, I have been dreading being one of two women on a panel addressing the topic of women in ministry. If ever there was a controversial topic in my circles, this is it. And the largest contingent in the audience I was facing? Male Southern Baptist pastors - a group not often considered the friendliest towards women in ministry and the use of all of our gifts in local churches. With them and many discouraged women in ministry in one room, I feared contention. What I encountered instead was something truly beautiful: men and women searching God’s Word and contemplating together how we could best work as brothers and sisters in the family of God.
I really love my community group, or home group as we call it. My home group is the glue that sometimes holds me together…that might sound intense or a bit dramatic, but if you knew these people and how we love big, encourage, and challenge each other, you would get it. Home groups aren’t always like that and, honestly, it hasn’t always been that way for me. Sometimes it’s more of a discipline.
Sometimes the phrase “personal growth” gets a bad reputation in Christian spheres. It sounds too self-reliant or worldly to be something God would want us to do. But spiritual growth cannot be separated from growing emotionally and mentally, nor can we separate it from taking care of our bodies. God made us whole people: mind, body and spirit. We cannot neglect our own growth as we care and minister to the needs of our families and communities. 2 Corinthians 5:18 tells us that we are all ministers charged with bringing the reconciliation of Christ to the world. But we cannot carry this load to the detriment of ourselves.
What is your personal Bible study like right now? Do you feel fulfilled and drawn closer to the Lord through time in scripture? Barely squeaking out 10 minutes of Bible reading in a week? Stuck in a passage that you can’t for the life of you understand? This week’s interview is with a woman who would relate to all of these sentiments: Millicent Gillogly.
