Getting a fresh perspective

Today we took our staff to another prevailing church in the area to meet up with their staff. We didn't really have an agenda other then to spend some time with people who do the same typed of work in a different church. This church was about twice our size. So in many ways they are where we want to be. Each of our staff members shadowed their counterpart for an hour or so to just talk about ministry.

It was so refreshing to hear from someone else that can relate to the struggles and challenges we have. So often one can feel so lonely in ministry. Today was a chance for all of us to be encouraged and challenged as well. We realized we are not alone in our struggles but we were also able to hear things and experience things in a different way. This automatically forces us to think differently than we normally do. I am a firm believer that if you stare at a problem or an issue long enough pretty soon you don't see it as that anymore. You just kind of ignore it or think that it is normal. When you hear from someone else however it sheds new light on the things you do. It causes you to ask more questions about how you do things. It forces you to evaluate how you are doing. Basically a fresh perspective is something that is good for all of us.

To often we are afraid to venture out of our normal routine and let outsiders evaluate us. This is because we are easily intimidated or don't really want to have a light shine on our issues. We would rather just stay in the dark and keep doing the same thing never questioning what it is we are doing. If we do we might not like what we see. At least we have the comfort or our routine. However, I am glad for today. It was great to gain insight on what we are doing and to ask why we are doing it. The only way we will ever grow is to let others help us point out the steps we can't see for ourselves. I challenge all of us to seek other people's insights and trust the fresh perspectives we gain from those moments. We will all be better because of it. Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor