I've heard him say this about 10-15 times in the last two weeks. This has been an interesting few months as we watch the league our local youth football programs participate in declare bankruptcy, and we sat with about 1400 kids looking at the coaches they counted on to solve the problem. A bunch of us got together, led by this guy, and we formed a new league, put the pieces together and are getting ready for the first official games of the season tomorrow. We are stoked. But man have their been challenges. Plenty of egos have been bruised in the process; and yet we are sticking together and agreeing to disagree. Things we were counting on have fallen through in the last second; and yet holes have been plugged. And quite frankly, it is because this guy has worked tirelessly and without relenting to make sure these 1200-1400 3rd-8th graders have a chance to play a game that will keep them occupied and Lord willing, will teach them countless lessons about what it means to be men and women. The crazy thing in all this...he runs one of the programs, has a job with a non-profit that is leading throughout our city making a massive difference...and he has done all of this for free as a volunteer. Now, we all have, and there have been other guys who have put forth plenty of extra effort...but the amount of time he has spent negotiating and the giant sized target he put on his own back when he stepped up to make sure this didn't fall through the cracks...
...i'm thankful. I've told him over and over how much I appreciate his leadership and his drive...and thick skin. Part of his paying job, is actually, to help mentor myself and lead FCA into a new mode of ministry within our city, so we are getting to rub elbows on multiple levels. And while I'm not sure where he is getting his superhuman stamina...gotta be Jesus...i'm so thankful I get to walk alongside and learn from this dude. This is a lesson that I know I need to learn. There are many days I get home, I see my phone ringing and the thought of picking it up to engage in what has the potential to be a trying conversation is exhausting...and if I'm honest; sometimes i just let it ring.
i think this is an important lesson and the quote itself flies in the face of what so many describe as a need for 'boundaries'. You find your getaways, absolutely, you take time to Sabbath, no doubt...but if you aren't in the midst of that, does the Kingdom really allow for boundaries? Do we as leaders really get to say, nope, not now? Do we get to pick and choose what 'crisis/situation' we are willing to tackle and which ones we just let fall? Does the Kingdom life allow us to say, 'not my problem'? I know, this is over simplifying the situation into what might not be a black and white issue...but still; I'm not convinced the Kingdom allows for 'boundaries' in this way. What say you?
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