Jesus, Community, Gospel, Mission
- May 26, 2009
We’re naming our priorities at Deer Park. Over the
next five weeks before summer, we’re moving along the
theme of “priorities” on Sunday mornings. Let me briefly
tell you why we are doing this.
Simply naming these big four priorities is really the
beginning of a new season for our local church. Notice
that the four priorities are not new. The words we use
may have changed, but God’s glorious purposes for his
people are eternal. That fills us with confidence and anticipation
because God always really knows what he’s doing.
No, naming the big four in a new way at DPAC is
for trusting God as we enter into a new season
together.
Naming the big four is not about production. It’s not
just about increased fruitfulness. Instead it is about a
godly “rootedness” in His Word and His good pleasing
and perfect will. God is already growing deeply encouraging
gospel fruit out of DPAC and He has for decades.
Give thanks! It is really about making sure that we don’t
walk away from our roots, that we, instead, deepen our
roots in His purposes, as we
furiously catch up, caring for the fruit that He’s
growing. Seeing that deep roots are required for great
fruit is one analogy that helps us see why it helps to see
God’s priorities.
David Allen, in his book Getting Things Done, gives
us another analogy from aerospace.
· 50 000+ feet: Life: “Of First Importance” Priorities
· 40 000 feet: 3-5 year Vision
· 30 000 feet: 1-2 year Goals
· 20 000 feet: Areas of Responsibility
· 10 000 feet: Current Projects
· Runway: Current Actions
See, our tendency is to see and live life right around
our own airport. Today’s activities are always in our face. The projects that are
underway will dominate our week. We may think about how
we more effectively carry out our responsibility in a given month.
Outside of that airport it gets difficult for us to see where it all
fits, and the result is that we never get up out of our own local
airspace to see where we are supposed to be going. And if we
see better where we are supposed to be going, we actually
perform current actions, projects, and fulfill responsibilities that get
us there.
Living life together, in the eternal perspective of God’s
Word, has actually given us the 50 000 foot view first.
He has designed and redeemed life so that our runway
is not just a busy place of activity with no
destination, nor is it a boring place of inactivity
because we have no hope of anybody taking off. God
has given us the gift of lifelong priorities that can result in
meaningful, satisfying, God glorifying actions,
projects, responsibilities, and goals.
The next five weeks at Deer Park are about
providing a 50 000 foot view of life that informs our past,
present, and future.
