God cares more about (all of) it than you do. Your loved ones, your job, your discipleship, your growth. All of it.
This is our 4th missional theology axiom, and in this episode, Matt Tebbe, Ben Sternke, and Ben Hardman talk about how this seemingly “obvious” belief isn’t where most of us live our actual lives, and why it’s vital that we learn to trust that God cares about our growth as disciples than we do.
Here are the links to previous episodes in this series:
I was helped so much with your input. I just came through a rough Easter weekend where my kids who were the actors in our Easter skit chose to go Easter egg hunting at as many of the events as they could instead of coming for a set play practice!!! My husband actually had to taken up two parts at the last minute Sunday evening, since the kid doing those two parts was at a family event (egg hunting) at the same time of our church service where the skit was the main feature. I am a controller, so God has spoken through you three to me! Praise His Name! I definitely had feelings of anger and anxious a bit about the outcome, more of me being a failure and foolish of thinking this haphazard attempt could ever be effectual in someone’s life who was attending.
Glad to hear it was helpful, Wanda! Peace to you!
Something that jumped out for me was the center out leadership. I totally agree and I too have been learning how to do this for a while.
The spectrum I like to use is role based leadership vs flat leadership. The alternative is the center out leadership you described is hierarchical in nature. There is a follower and an example to follow, a provider and a dependent. A come follow me invitation first must exist. (Not a popular idea in the north America any more)
The influence we have is in the dependents view of the provider. If the dependent feels safe and secure in the relationship, the dance of caring and leading begins. This is not a control type authority, it is an invitation into relationship type leadership. When the invitation is accepted, the dependent orientates around the provider, and finds rest, finds a place to make mistakes and grow.
Our job as providers is to offer an unconditional invitation into our presence, even if the dependent makes lots of mistakes.