What You See, And What You Don't
The Pastor as Vision Caster
Is vision cast, or is it first received? If it is first “received” then one must admit that it comes from a source outside of one’s self. What does it mean for a pastor to be reminded of the words of Elihu to Job, when he told him that the God of the Bible whom we serve speaks “in a dream, in a vision of the night…(33:15)"; or reveals the divine self to Isaiah in unspeakable glory “high and lifted up”, whose voice “shakes the foundations of the thresholds? (Is. 6)." Is that vision ours? How do we know it’s ours – and when it’s not?We are entering the post-Pentecost season in our Christian calender called "Ordinary Time", from the Latin, "ordinal", which means "counted weeks." But far from being ordinary, it is traditionally the season devoted to the reflection on the nature and mission of the church. A perennial problem, however, is that this period in our liturgical calendar is swallowed up in the vacation mode of summer. Many theologians have made the observation that Pentecost is the most neglected season of the Christian liturgical calendar - and rightly so.
So, as a preemptive strike on the coming "summer doldrums", I would like to share some thoughts on a very important topic on pastoral leadership. It is adapted from a lecture that I presented this past January to the annual gathering of the Convention Baptist Ministers Association at Central Philippines University in Iloilo City, Philippines. Just click on the link below. I am interested in your thoughts as well. If you want to engage in a sincere and earnest dialogue with me, use the form below to send me an email.
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