After Adam and Eve had sinned and hid themselves in the garden, God asked a seemingly simple question: "Where are you?"
This week I spent time reflecting and walking with God in the wilderness. There are times where ministry can become just as chaotic as anything else in the world, and we see in the scriptures that Jesus took time to be in the wilderness alone with the Lord. The first time we see Jesus, God in the flesh, is in the garden; we read in Genesis 3:8-10 that he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day. When God asks "where are you?" there's an implication that this was an expected meeting, that Adam was not found at the usual appointed time and place. Indeed, Adam was hiding - man's separation from intimate relationship with God had already begun.
I wonder how many times God wants us to meet him in the garden, only to be left waiting for us as we rush off into the business of the day. Last week, I took the time to do a bit of hiking in some nearby woods to disconnect from the business of the world and spend time with Him. It was refreshing, revelatory, and absolutely necessary. To paraphrase Henry Blackaby: 'Spending time with God is not a scheduling problem, it's a love problem'. Building a loving relationship with God requires spending quality time with the Lord, not just fitting Him in between daily tasks, but making arrangements and efforts to meet Him in a way that is undistracted and genuine - it's that loving relationship that will make a living ministry possible.
There are quite a few updates this week: October 6th will mark our first silent auction, in honor of New Vision Church's 20th year of ministry - we'll be selling paintings auctioning off a 26x34 family portrait for the winning bidder. We wrapped up the EpiCenter logo mural last week and will be working on the sanctuary space next week - pictures will be coming soon! We've also soft launched our free EpiCenter Jesus + Art youth workshop and will be having our first official launch today (pictures coming soon for these as well!). We've also been invited to host free painting classes for the residents of The Oaks here in Fayetteville. The Oaks is an assisted living facility for the elderly - we'll be working on refining our workshop format so we can present the lessons in a way that's right for them. We'll have updates on a solid start date once we've settled on the format, but we're excited to get started!
What I've learned about ministry this week is that fellowship with God and spending quality time with him out of love, not obligation, is a precious privilege and joy, and it's in those moments where our hearts go through a lot of reshaping. The Lord reminded me of things I'd forgotten about over the years, and assured me that He's the only one I can find true love and peace in - and in that, anything done unto Him will likewise be done in peace.
Related Posts
