Friday, December 09, 2005

Stretching
This evening I somehow inserted a photo onto my blog. I'm not quite sure I could do it again, it wasn't exactly where I wanted it, but it's there, I put it there, and to be truthful...I like it.
In June I went to Kenya, we had a fourteen hour layover in London and decided to take a double-decker tour bus throughout the city. We took a taxi to the place we were to catch the tour, only to realize we were walking distance from Buckingham Palace. So we walked down there, stared with amazement, tried to get the guards to flinch, I did him to smile, and then hopped on the bus, toured one of the most beautiful cities in the world, did a boat ride, toured Westminister Abbey, and enjoyed a nice time in London.
This thing of traveling overseas, blogging, and placing photos on my blog stretched me. I served seven years as a evangelist, preaching in 14 states during that time...but now God is allowing me to travel to places I never dreamed of, giving me favor when I get there, and is constantly reminding me that He has bigger things in store for me...but only if I'm willing to trust Him and to stretch.
Physically, muscles don't grow unless they're stretched...neither do our spiritual muscles, our marriages, our relationships. Sometimes what we do works, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes the picture ends us right where you want it, sometimes it doesn't...at least we stretched!
As I age I'm finding that it is better to stretch and reach, than to sit and wish. Someone is sure to say, "What if it doesn't work?" I say, "What if it does?"

1 comment:

Pastor Jeff said...

Hey, Neil, great post. How true. I feel that God is starting to stretch me out as well. He is really making me painfully aware of the call to plant a church. I can't get away from it. Well, I don't want to be a Jonah, and keep the people God has called me to reach waiting on my stubbornness! Thanks for posting this and zapping me with a spiritual cattle prong!