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Body builder
by Terry Camsey, Major –
Major Keilah Toy’s article “Final Destination,” which appeared in the May 19 issue of New Frontier, is a very profound one that I saw as a metaphor of great significance to both the Army and other churches. She has given me permission to quote and comment on that article, and I would like to specifically address her following words:
“If we want to reach a destination, we have to plan the trip
to make sure we get there. It’s more stressful living life without a plan.
There is no goal, no direction, no destination. Just day-to-day survival,
hoping things will turnout all right.
Many people don’t know where they are headed or which
direction to aim for, and they wonder why life is stressful…
Essential to this spiritual journey is a daily check with our
divine compass, God’s Word. Daily communion with God through
his Word enables us to avoid major pitfalls and danger…
as well as warns us when we need to make…course corrections in our
attitude and choices.
If not adjusted regularly, the straying will add up and veer us not only
off-course and sidetracked, but possibly even lost.”
to make sure we get there. It’s more stressful living life without a plan.
There is no goal, no direction, no destination. Just day-to-day survival,
hoping things will turnout all right.
Many people don’t know where they are headed or which
direction to aim for, and they wonder why life is stressful…
Essential to this spiritual journey is a daily check with our
divine compass, God’s Word. Daily communion with God through
his Word enables us to avoid major pitfalls and danger…
as well as warns us when we need to make…course corrections in our
attitude and choices.
If not adjusted regularly, the straying will add up and veer us not only
off-course and sidetracked, but possibly even lost.”
Read it again substituting “corps” for “we,” “many people,” and “us.” You’ll see that Karen’s statements assume an importance not to be underestimated by any corps.
Does the corps have a clear vision of the destination the Lord wants it to reach, does it know where it is headed? Does it know where it is now relative to that destination? Without answers to both, a map is useless to get us there and prevents us even from mapping out the journey. We can drive faster and harder but will likely never reach that destination.
Does the corps have a clear travel plan that will keep it on track towards that destination to make sure it gets there? If not it can be very busy, yet just spinning wheels.
Does it have milestones, measurable goals that will help it to assess progress, assuming it does know the destination it is trying to reach?
A corps needs a clear picture, a vision, of what God wants it to become—and a strategy that will get it there—helped by frequent checks against our divine compass. These enable it to avoid pitfalls and danger. A corps also needs a strategy that can be adjusted—mid-course corrections can be made if obstacles are encountered—since the corps still has clearly in mind its ultimate destination.
Yet, for some reason setting out such vision (destination) seems to be a sticking point with many, despite the biblical admonition that “without a vision the people perish!” Perhaps this has to do with the accountability it implies. Perhaps frequent changes of officers over many years have caused few to look beyond the present appointment. With frequent past changes of direction, an incoming officer can find himself wading through a rubble of foundations laid by those who preceded him/her, but never built on and—worse—trampled down by others following with different ideas.
The big question is, “If through prayer and study of the Word, a corps determines what God wants to see achieved in its community (the vision of an as-yet not achieved future reality), is God likely to change his mind every time the Army sees fit to move an officer?”
The challenge is to break the negative cycle and start building something that will last and be a source of motivation to the soldiery until that God-given vision is accomplished.
Big visions attract people who want to help accomplish them, as well as resources.
A final thought, why not substitute “administrative levels” for “corps” and see what the Spirit says to the churches?
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