A re-blog: Is there room for me in your church?

I read this morning and can't get it out of my head.  While I don't get this feeling where I work, I can totally relate.  It is from a blog, tonymorganlive.com.  Here is a synopsis: 

People with spiritual gifts like mine aren’t welcomed in your church.

My spiritual gifts include leadership and administration and discernment. That’s how God has wired me. As a result of that mix of gifts, I think in terms of systems and strategies. I have the ability to walk into a chaotic situation and offer clarity and encourage simplicity. I can’t explain it, but God allows me to see the future in some situations and develop plans and next steps that help bring a vision to fruition.

Here’s the rub, though. Since my spiritual gifts don’t include teaching or prayer or shepherding, I don’t look or smell like the typical “Spirit-filled” pastor. When I start talking strategy and planning, people automatically assume that my counsel is being driven by my own strength and not God’s power.

I admit there are days when, like every Christ-follower, I try to take control of my life rather than embracing God’s control. I’m far from perfect. But I also know that the strengths that make me unique are God’s design for my life. I assume God wants me to use those gifts in the church. You’d be amazed, though, at how much my gifts are disdained within “Spirit-filled” churches.

Engaging the counsel of others won’t limit the Holy Spirit. Planning for the future shouldn’t constrict the power of the Holy Spirit. Learning from the experiences of other leaders and ministries doesn’t constrain the Holy Spirit. Bringing order and systems and strategic approaches certainly don’t stop the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers people like me to do all those things.

It’s crazy. In the business world, people like me are rewarded handsomely for helping to expand the business. When people use those same gifts to help expand the impact of the church, though, they’re doing something wrong.

Are people who have these gifts supposed to get jobs in the marketplace where their strengths are welcomed? Is there room for them in your church?

Sandwiches

I realized today, that in over 3 months of writting blogging, I haven't discussed FOOD.  At all, not once.  So today that will change!


I love food.  All kinds.  Good food, bad food.  There are very few things I won't eat.  I think about food a lot.  I didn't realize how much I think about food until I began my journey into the world of BookFace/Twitter.  A large majority of my posts/status-i/tweets are about food.  There is probably another post on "Where your status, there your treasure is", but I digress.

My favorite food is sandwiches.     Now, before you say, "How boring", hear me out.  Yes, I am talking about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but I see that category as something much larger.  Isn't a 1/3 pound fire-grilled angus hamburger with thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, lettuce tomatoes, pickles, onions on a homemade sourdough bun a sandwich?  I believe there are many things that can be classified as a 'Sandwich'.  I'd like to expound on the definition of Sandwich


sand*wich |ˈsanˌ(d)wi ch |
noun
an item of food consisting of two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or other filling between them, eaten as a light meal


Now, the last part I totally disagree with.  Yes, there are 'finger sandwiches', with cucumber and egg salad, but they just give sandwiches a bad name.  So, looking at the definition closer, 'consisting of two pieces of BREAD'.  I would submit that 'bread' can be used loosely in this sense.  A tortilla could be considered bread.  Rice paper could also be considered 'bread'.  If we go that far, then anything that holds meat, cheese or other filling between them could be 'bread'.  So with that understanding...