Today is the first Sunday I actually don't have to work. I mean that I go in, create the order and get out as soon as I can. I have to figure it all out, when it comes to the pars and stuff, but it is really nice. With that said, I have a new fight to battle, fellowship. Because I'm now working in Upstairs, I cook five nights a week, because that is when we're open.
I mentioned this to Wade the other day, and we both agreed on a solid game plan, that I need to follow through on. Get together with the brothers. Which brings me to a great little piece of advice I was given a long time ago, "Reach Up, Reach Out, Reach Down, when it comes to sharing your faith."
Reach Up
Not so easy of a task, when you know many leaders and former leaders. Who do you choose? Who do you ask to help you? Will it be weird to just ask some one out of the blue? How will they take it? Do they have the time? In the new cultural climate we are in, within the former ICOC, this has become the new standard for Discipling. Everyone, find some one you admire and get with them (even if they really can't help or have the time). The truth is, Disciples who have been around the Kingdom for a good amount of time, have wisdom beyond the scope of spiritually young Disciple. At the same time, how do you measure their spiritual wisdom. Do you admire this person for what you've heard about them? Are their lives so transparent there isn't a hidden sin in their lives? What about the fact you admire them, because you've never had a bad time around them, but they don't act spiritually? Maybe, they're somewhat like me?
Reach Out
This is two fold, as well as the next one. I cringe when I hear those two words, it brings me back to my days in the campus ministry, when I felt stressed I didn't bring some one to church. At the same time though, it is good for my heart to work on this. Nothing gets me more out of my own way than actually asking if someone feels comfortable about what will happen to them when they pass away.
The second part of reaching out is to a peer spiritually. I found a great person who is fighting through the same things I am, Amy. She is my best friend. Some time has passed when I started writing this to this point, but this past weekend, she had to go out of town to attend the funeral of her Great Grandmother Ella. In those few days, I felt a bit depressed and totally lonely. I understand biblicaly, she couldn't be my peer, but she truly is. Even though our level of intimacy is different than say Jim or Joe, she is an equal in my book. With that said, reaching out to a peer means that I need some one to share the highs and lows of my life.
Reaching Down
I'm hesitant in typing about this, but it can mean to some one who is physically younger and may lack some general wisdom about what is out there. It can refer to some one spiritually in experience and is reaching up to you as part of their three/four people in their lives to mold them spiritually. It can also mean some one who isn't doing to well spiritually, on the Godly fringe. Whatever case it is, you find it is good for your heart to pour into some one. You can be the example of what it means to fight for your faith, for both them and yourself. I once was told I was good at training people for leadership. As you know, you can't teach care, heart, love, but show it to them in how you interact with them.
Why I'm hesitant is what if I think I'm reaching out to a peer, and they see it as I am trying to reach down to them? What if I am trying to reach down to some one who is recently converted, but they are older than me physically and view it as me reaching up? What if they know you're trying to reach down to them and don't want to come to terms of where they are in their faith? What if you're reaching up to them and really you're reaching down, what ramifications does that have on your faith?
So the plan is working, yesterday at 5:30 am I met up with Jim, I meet with Joe once a week, I'm scheduled to meet up with Wade next week, I'm headed out the door to go up to CU and hang with Matt and Rob. I just need to keep being proactive about it all.
