Getting dirty again

Once upon a time, I was not afraid to get dirty. I worked in a food pantry. I volunteered in a homeless shelter. I fed the hungry, clothed the naked. I believed that the Kingdom of God was at hand (as Jesus said over and over), and was out there sharing it. Then I started thinking strategically. I realized that if I got other people to help with that work, then the Kingdom would grow even more. So I stopped doing that kind of work myself. I've been talking about it, but not doing it.

One of my mentors, Dave, lives in Colorado. Bill Easum is a church consulting big-wig, and when Dave told Bill that Dave had no business spending time with the poor himself. That his job was to do what I'd described- to get others out there doing the 'grunt work'. But Dave told me that when he looks into the eyes of those he's serving, he sees Jesus. It keeps him grounded. It keeps him focused. It keeps him close to God.

That's something that's been missing in my life. As a result, I've lost my voice. I can't speak about the power of the Kingdom of God breaking into these situations because I haven't seen it myself in a long time. As a result, my strategy doesn't seem to be working. I'm less able to inspire others to do this kind of work because it's been so long since I've done it myself.

I'm gonna start getting dirty again. It's time to stop talking about the Kingdom of God and to start showing it. Time to stop thinking and talking, and time to start doing and showing. So I'm gonna get dirty, and I invite you to join me. Email me, call me, whatever, and we'll go get dirty together. Then I won't have to tell you about the Kingdom of God. You can just experience it for yourself.