On The Way.

I’m continuing to be compelled with the the single notion (and invitation) to “follow Jesus.” To desperately work at being a follower of Jesus’ teachings, lifestyle, the way He interacted in the Gospels with others. The Way. That’s really the crux of it.Just exactly, where’s He going? One of the neat things made known to me this year was that Jesus doesn’t set up camp too often. In all He taught, “staying put” wasn’t ever one of His lessons. He’s a long-distance hiker. And yet for each of us, He sets a pace. Not necessarily a comfortable pace, but a pace we have the capacity and ability to keep. The past few years, I have felt like I haven’t been keeping up. Much like the dawdling toddler at the mall who doesn’t get his way, I’ve dragged my feet way too often.A sense of “Urgency” is an issue of being called to follow Christ, for certain. When dragging my feet, I’m not tuned into that. And as I’ve learned that Jesus isn’t “sedentary” in relationship with us, but always on the move with His command “follow me,” I’ve found myself wondering where He is here at a moment where I need Him most. The answer is, He’s always WHERE HE’S CALLING ME. His voice is always my beacon–that’s His intent, at very least.Now, if only I’d obey and FOLLOW, I might find him there! And He’s called me to be in process, not setup and established somewhere, planting roots and building some sort of spiritual homestead. And yet I’m tempted to do that–especially with a group of others who are like-minded, and try to build some sort of Jesus Colony or village. Just gather together, claim a piece of property and declare permanence. Now that I’m aware of that, I realize that those places which ARE more settled are like visitor’s centers along the way, there for a quick break and stretch before heading back out. Base camp, the Holiday Inn, a Guest Home, a Jellystone campground.But our calling is on the road, the path, the trail, the WAY–not at or “to” any one of these temporary stopping points.Personally speaking, Kim and I have learned that by eventually moving to Denver to work at Kingdom Building Ministries, we are simply acting upon our call that we have ALREADY answered. We are in process, we are progressing, we are ON THE WAY, and therefore we’re doing our best to follow Jesus by interpreting what He’s asked us to do. And so, for the past 7 weeks, we’ve been without a permanent residence of our own. We are in a state of transit more than in a state of transition, and I’m convinced that seeing that and living with that understanding for a period of weeks is essential to our growth. It surely is needed for me.We don’t know when we’re moving to Denver. We do know we have a long way still before we have enough financial support from partners to afford to move and live there. We aren’t complacent, and we have to keep our attitudes and patience in check, and we have to stay present in what God is doing in the lives of those around us. We have to be content with where we ARE, which always takes precedence over any anxiety about what the future holds.And I’d hate to be too simplistic, but “Follow Me” doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for making Jesus’ teaching complicated. So, that’s my intent. To keep on following Jesus.