Looking back, looking forward
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. -Psalm 107:2-3
2018 was a year of stories from the men of Convoy. They are all available as podcasts at https://www.convoynwa.org/audio/.
January, Bryan Lewis, Seeking Margin
February, Steve Marshall, Sabbath Rest
March, Carl Kimbro, Learning Trust
April, Jeremy Waterhouse, Surviving Trials
May, Marcus Easley, Fighting Isolation
June, Paul Dubbell, Remembering a Fallen Brother
July, Scott Thompson, Identity in the Waiting
August, Stan Chesser, Transparency
September, Bob Mitchell, Walking with Brothers
October, Blake Pointer, Convoy as a Verb
November, Chris Kotter, Real Relationships
December, Leadership Team, Vision-casting for 2019
Each story was unique, yet there were some recurring themes. Leading and loving well as a Christian man isn't for sissies. We dream big. We frequently over-commit because we think it's all on us. We put on a brave face and go it alone because we think that's what men are supposed to do. We encounter obstacles, sometimes due to choices we've made, sometimes due to circumstances beyond our control. We fail. We learn. We try again. We discover that we need God-power if we are to emerge victorious, which God, in His kindness, is very willing to supply. We find that having a support team to walk with is vital to maintaining a right perspective, and the Holy Spirit uses that support team as part of His process of transforming us into Christ-likeness.
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. -Galatians 6:2
And that's the goal. The fight is not futile. In fact, with God's help and the encouragement of my brothers, it's very winnable.
"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the LORD Almighty. -Zechariah 4:6
Resting in His victory, I can convoy those He has entrusted to my care. How cool is it that He invites me into and equips me for the work of Kingdom-building?
Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. -2 Corinthians 4:1-10
We are at the Lodge this Friday, Dec 7. Join us as we consider where God wants to take us in 2019. We have some exciting stuff to cover and a special guest who will be addressing us as well, so plan to be on time! You might even want to bring a friend!