Riley's World

It seems to me, that very few people who are calling themselves leaders actually bring paper or their schedule to leader meetings or some other medium to which to write down important events, changes or announcements. I find it hard to believe that so many can actually keep all the upcoming events strait in their mind.

I think we saw the fruit of this last Thursday (yesterday) when many of our key leaders forgot it was the day we agreed as the Rock to fast for world hunger in our joint support with our Catholic friends. But we have also seen this in the fact that important upcoming events, like All Rock Prayer, isn't on people's minds. Some have even forgotten that we gave them a calendar with all the important dates on it. [Not to mention the wonderful web-site that Kirsten keeps up to date.] So, what is the world coming to?

But I have also noticed that many people seem to come to church functions, like leader meetings or prayer meetings without their Bible. They just show up. Maybe I am strange, but when I go somewhere and my Bible isn't near by, I feel really naked. Tim shared a thought at our Men's time about soldiers not forgetting to put on their armor or not forgetting to carry their rifle. Of course, I naturally think, duh, they are in a war and they physically see it. The spiritual war is hard to see and putting the armor of God on is like a constant mental work to keep ourself yielded to the Spirit and in God's presence, but to leave the Word of God somewhere not near by, is just like the soldier putting on armor and leaving the gun at home. It's our only tangible weapon (as in, we have either have it completely memorized or carry it around with us) and many of us treat it like a text book. :)

How can you show up to a spiritually engaging battle like prayer, or the administrative side of the spiritual war front (leader meetings) without your Bible and the tools needed to carry out one's God given responsibilities?

My thought went a little father this morning. I was wondering if some of use are more interested in our position as a leader (aka the fact that we can come to leader meetings and hold a position) than really interested in the responsibilities and duties of that position?

Or maybe we have just lost sight of what it means to come to church functions (with our Bibles!) and to leader meetings (with paper & schedules!), ready to do and know our part of this spiritual war. It is very important to remember that leader meetings are no less important than other things, it is where the business end of the spiritual war takes place and it is where the Devil can scatter (or spread out) the flock by causing organizational chaos or mis-information or what have you.

{And in case you forgot, I love the leaders and am honored to work with and for them. We are young and need to grow in this arena of spiritual war.}