1) Peterson provided the launch pad for my doctoral dissertation on spiritual formation. Please post any general comments or questions related to Peterson's text. One of my favorite sections is, "The Assumptions of Subversives" (pp. 34-37). Who is your favorite spy, detective, or anarchist that you utilize in developing your leadership style? [My detective is Columbo, he fumbles around dealing with "I got this problem, could you help me figure it out? I attempt to distract and through people/students out of their norm/rut to possibly embrace another world/perspective/kingdom in our lives & ministry.]
I think that Petersen’s book is great and a breath of fresh air for me as a young Assistant Pastor. His section on the “Unbusy Pastor” was so on point for me and helped me to better understand myself and my “need” to help others, sometimes at the expense of myself and my family, and that this imbalance must change in order for me to live out God’s will as he has called me to live. As Assistant Pastor I take on many issues that I must learn to delegate and take a step back from in order to have true Sabbath rest and peace in my position. Fixing problems is part of my job and administration is a gift that God has given me, but I must learn that being unbusy allows me time to commune with God and others according to God’s plan and not my own. My wife and I discussed this section and I have adjusted my calendar appropriately to include “calendar appointments” that won’t be challenged where I can spend time with God and my family, pray, sit in silence and use other spiritual disciplines according to God’s direction. My favorite detective is actually Horatio Cane from CSI Miami on Mondays. He is very analytical, seeks to get to the bottom of every issue, but is active in resolving and participating in the resolution of the cases that come through the Miami Dade CSI Unit. His leadership style is decisive, analytical and action packed and those characteristics are some that I also use in my spiritual leadership as directed by the Holy Spirit.
2) Curing souls connects to the movement (fad?) of Christian counseling toward spiritual direction rather than only psychological/social methodology & skills. What happens when you can't fix a problem/person/program?
When I can’t fix a problem/person/program I sometimes get frustrated and seek to better understand the situation to try to find a solution. My perfectionist nature sometimes drives me down rabbit holes or involves me in issues that don’t have a solution for. This process has led me to become more dependent upon prayer and the Holy Spirit working in the situation rather than me “solving” the problem or providing the answer. I have also learned that in dealing with people or problems that sometimes a referral to an outside counselor or professional is best, and that not referring someone to an outside counselor or professional can be detrimental because I am not versed nor should I be versed in solving every problem that may arise (i.e. counseling a person that is bi-polar should be handled by a professional because many issues that the person is facing I may not detect and would not be able to prescribe the proper care for from a professional capacity). I believe that Christian counseling and spiritual direction are essential aspects of helping people deal with curing their souls, and these disciplines many times will lead to the person facing the heart of their issues directly through assistance and support that will help them emotionally, relationally and spiritually.
3) What does being "unbusy'', subversive, & apocalyptic mean to you as a Christian leader.
These three terms are ones that I must utilize, internalize and apply right now in my ministerial setting as an Assistant Pastor according to direction by the Holy Spirit. Being unbusy relates to really understanding the Sabbath and receiving from God the direction that I so desire because I will be open to hearing from God rather than being overly distracted by the cares and concerns that bog me down and drown out the small voice of God. Being subversive helps me to better understand that even though I may not see the fruits of what God is doing that those fruits will be brought to fruition in God’s time and not my own. I must continue to operate counter to culture but live within the culture that I am subverting for the Kingdom of God. This concept is great because I feel like Neo in the Matrix where he lives among the machines subverting their power but the world at large did not realize what he was doing because he was sent to accomplish his specific mission regardless of others knowing what the mission was or not. Being apocalyptic is a radical transformation in my understanding of this term, which helps me to understand better the concept of “patient urgency.” There are various ministries and community related activities that will build the Kingdom of God (i.e. Wings Enrichment Program for inner city youth in Toledo) that God has placed in my spirit that will have a great impact on the Toledo Community and the Kingdom of God that I am anxious to see come to pass; however, patient urgency helps me to understand that I must pray diligently and be prepared for God to reveal and bring to fruition those things that he is doing, rather than me trying to “make things happen” based upon my impatience or wanting to see the “fruit” without the process of patiently waiting for the seed to die in the ground, and the growth, preparation and provision that only God can provide in the process. Patient urgency helps me to focus on God’s will rather than my own and prepare myself and God’s people for a change that can occur in the twinkling of an eye after years of preparation for the twinkling.
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Art, i can certainly agree with you on how challenging our invovlement with people can be. The task of ministering to folk can be overwhelming at times. I think that this whole business of spiritual direction is that it is a process that teaches us how to develop intimate godly relationships, first begining with our relationship with God and then with the folk. As we spend more time with him, he helps us to discern what is most important in becoming as opposed to doing. It is rather interesting that often times we define ourselves by the many things we do, our titles, our roles, or our frustrating assignments. I am still learning how not to do that. Pray that I will learn better how to be still and be in his presence.
Thanks for the insights and references to Neo. I utilized Neo as the metaphor at a Leadership Training with Mt. Pilgrim in September '07. Making disciples is similar to training spies. Moses trained 12 spies--> 001 to 012; Joshua was the original 007 and Caleb was 001. They had to wait 40 years for new recruits to be able to conquer the giants. Train a few that's what Jesus did, again 12 spies, I mean 12 apostles with one dud. He focused His energies on LD--> Leadership Development, when we do that we are training subversive kingdom leaders who understand subversion, I mean conversion of people and nations. . .
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