If that don't get your fire goin'...

I used to have a supervisor who would wrap up the discussion about any news that was big and exciting (at least to him) with the phrase: "If that don't get your fire goin', your wood must be wet!" That's kinda how I feel after what we heard at the Lodge on Friday....

Convoy is a multi-generational community of men connecting to become and make disciples.

It was almost comical a few weeks ago when we met with community pastors at Mosaic to discuss the synergies that might be gained in a collaborative effort between Fellowship and Convoy. Here’s a paraphrase of part of that conversation: 
     "So who are you guys? How would you define yourself? If we were going to point someone in your direction, what should we tell them about you?"
     "Well, uh... we got about 70 men who are active to a greater or lesser extent.... We get together as a big group at the Lodge every couple of weeks. Then we bust out into 8 or 9 foxholes in the off weeks.... We talk about life. We look at the Bible together and we encourage each other.... It's also pretty cool that we have some old grey-headed guys who are willing to hang out with us and slap us around a little when we need it...."
     "OK, so is that what you want us to lead with? We like what you're doing, but that description sounds a little, uh, squishy."

The meeting was productive and we left feeling highly encouraged, but we knew we needed to develop an identity statement - something concise, so someone with limited mental capacity such as myself could actually remember it, yet descriptive in a way that it said something meaningful about us. It took a fair amount of discussion, prayer, word-smithing, and editing over several days. We felt really good about the direction the Spirit had been taking Blake Pointer, which he shared back in October (https://www.convoynwa.org/audio/2018/10/6/convoy-is-a-verb). We wanted an identity statement that would mesh with those ideas and frame them up in a package that could be delivered in a walk across a parking lot.

Blake expressed the result very well on Friday as he deconstructed the components to amplify their relevance to the overall statement (watch for that podcast here: https://www.convoynwa.org/audio/2018/12/8/convoy-direction-in-2019). This should prove helpful as we look to share the Convoy experience with others. I also look forward to it being the "north star" for our direction as we move forward into the coming year.

Convoy is a:

• Multi-generational 
  Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.  -Psalm 71:17-18

• Community of men
  When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.  -Matthew 18:19-20 (MSG)

• Connecting to
  Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.  -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

• Become and Make disciples
  …you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  -Acts 1:8

Simple enough to articulate and deep enough to sink our teeth into. This is gonna be fun, y'all!