Starting New

It was an all too familiar feeling. I was standing outside a church I had never visited before, in a poor part of town, waiting for the pastor to hopefully come to the door and see if we somehow couldn't share ministries. Something however, was different.

I felt awkward in a new way. Dress code, rehearsed spiels and mission statement had all been left behind - at least the ones that I had been immersed in. I barely knew the people with whom I was supposedly visiting this church. I was not even sure that I clearly understood our objective.

I loved that feeling of unfamiliarity, of having to rework and define, of possessing the right to take some time and be downright unprofessional yet brashly bold in faith. A new adventure had begun and my lines had not been memorized this time.

Decisions that in the past had been ruled by IT policy statements and approaches were now placed in my hands to make. I asked myself if I was dressed properly and found myself relieved that I was not trying to maintain traditional standards anymore. I felt myself relax.

When we finally got through the door, we still had to wait to speak with the leadership and I chuckled to realize that fingering tapping was not an exclusive IT experience. When we finally sat down to speak with the pastor he gave the same questioning look that I had been receiving from his kind for the past thirty-two years. Just why were we here? What did we want? What did we need from him? This time I needed to have a whole new set of answers.

Oddly enough I quickly became aware of the fact that I was carrying just as much of who and where I had been and what I knew because of IT as I was leaving certain elements and aspects behind. There were principals of ministry and communication that were guiding me even as I relaxed in areas where I had always felt a requirement to produce professionally.

I stumbled along with my cohorts in ways I had not stumbled in a long time but I did not feel regretful. I was not representing an organization in this present context. I was mystified to watch how the Spirit united us as The Body without all that professionalism in tow. It was humbling and hysterical. God opened doors anyway or perhaps because of. What delightful tyros we were within the hands of our Potter.

I walked away convinced that God had used us as He intended, in a way which was new to my experience and I loved every minute of it. I did not even kick myself for my Spanish errors. I had not worried or hesitated with the language - something I had always struggled with as an IT representative.

As I reflect on the experience, little surprises me - except perhaps the fact that I was not tense about my Spanish. (I'm guessing that's a bonus that the Lord threw in.). The one thing that did catch me off guard was that even as I endeavored to expand my personal horizons and become involved in whole news areas of ministry completely separate from IT, opportunities came up for me to serve these new associates through IT. I did not expect that at all. I expected to slowly but surely put IT out to pasture.

I now realize that perhaps the Lord may have something else in mind. That maybe His answer for me is bigger than I anticipated - a merging rather than a separation. Perhaps. But for now I am enjoying all that is new and fills me with this wonderful sense of possibility.