Last night we had a Renew board meeting.
I've written before on past board meetings we've had.
I know it sounds twisted, but I actually look forward to these board meetings.
Last night was no exception.
Before we jumped into decisions that needed to be made and tasks that needed to get ticked off the agenda I started our time by asking the question, "How are we doing – really?"
One of us shared the deep sense of woundedness over feelings of betrayal in a relationship.
One of us shared the difficulty of extending forgiveness to someone who has hurt them badly.
One of us shared that life feels like a rollercoaster – so many highs and lows in a short amount of time.
One of us shared that life seems so difficult right now.
One of us shared the feeling of purposelessness in their job (thankfully that wasn't me…)
What I thought would be a ten minute conversation ended up being an hour and a half of sharing from the depths.
It was difficult to hear.
Messy stuff.
Tough stuff.
Tears.
Listening.
Honest sharing.
Silence.
As hard as it was to hear all the junk that's going on in each of our lives I found myself thanking God for the privilege of walking authentically through life with these guys.
I found myself thinking Man, I wouldn't want it any other way!
I am thankful that it isn't a board that is all business – that it's much bigger than that.
It's sharing who we are with each other in the context of attempting to lead Renew faithfully and humbly and courageous and wisely. What an honor.
Then we finally jumped into the to-do list.
We reflected on all the many ways God has shown himself faithful at Renew in the last six months.
And we bagged on each other, laughing so hard our sides were splitting and we were crying.
And we ended the evening on our knees in prayer spending time solely thanking God for all that he had done, is doing and will continue to do in our lives and through this newly forming faith community of Renew.
What a privilege that we can cry in the midst of deep heartbreak and cry in the midst of such incredible laughter all in the same board meeting as we deal with kingdom issues.
I am so grateful for these guys!
DougG said...
1JR, Happy New Year. Being a little older, I looked at the list and thought I have been through most of those issues. Sometimes I handled them well and sometimes not. The Word, prayers, being discipled, etc. all helped me through them. Then I thought of our small group of 20-somethings: parents getting divorced, law vs. grace, counseling, questioning calls to be a missionary/pastor, engagements, deployments, being widowed, trying to get hours at multiple jobs, etc. One couple even asked Faye and I to do their pre-marital counseling; after we got done laughing, we thought what a privelege to be an (bad) example and help start a marriage on the right track. I think it is in 1 Cor 1 where Paul says we are called to comfort those with the comfort we have received ourselves. Do we allow Jesus into our “stuff” and see the ways He can use it?
Finally, I guess my current issue is feeling significant when I have had decades of fathers, step-fathers, pastors, ministry leaders, bosses, leaders, etc. stomp on me. Why can’t I listen to Faye, you, Dean, Lee, Randy, and others to realize I have planted seeds. Maybe God blinds me to this so I rely on Him more? (I think of Jacob, not a real poster boy for fatherhood and family matters, saying at the end of his life that God had been his shepherd all the days of his life. After years of looking down at Jacob, I think I am embracing the fact that I am like him in many ways.)
I think I need to re-read my copy of “If” by Kipling.
Thanks and Regards, Doug
01/7/09 7:49 AM | Comment Link
bobtflyer said...
2“Business is business, stick to business” is what most board members say about board meetings, but they will easily digress to discussions about sports, economy, weather. When is comes to real life, messy life, “stick to business is the mantra. Maybe we need to re-define or define what “business” is. Perhaps caring about the lives of others on the board is really what most of the business is.
In a board I am on, our most remarkable meetings occurred when we took time to share our lives, cry with each other, lay hands on a brother or sister and pray for them. I could only imagine that as God looked over the meeting he probably said “I am so pleased that you experienced the real purpose of this meeting.”
01/7/09 5:15 PM | Comment Link
J.R. Briggs said...
3Good thoughts, Bob.
Yes, it ultimately goes back to the question, “How do we define success?”
What an important question to process in ministry!
01/7/09 5:17 PM | Comment Link