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wings
Bold
In my last column, I wrote about getting ready for the unfolding of God's vision for the Holston Conference. I want to continue that discussion by focusing on adjectives within the vision statement describing the communities of faith God envisions us to become.
The first adjective is bold. This word describes communities that are willing and eager to face danger or adventure with confidence and fearlessness. These communities of faith, these congregations, and these churches are bold when they behave daringly and show originality in their thinking. They have laity and clergy who are not afraid to stand out, to be noticed. I love these words of Gandhi: "Fearlessness is the first requisite of spirituality. Cowards can never be moral." The Bible declares, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)
In his sermon, "Not a Spirit of Fear," C. Roy Angell says to us: "One of the glorious things about Jesus and Paul was that they were fearless. Quietly, with beautiful poise, they walked along the dangerous pathway of life with perfect assurance. They were anchored to the great rock-ribbed truth that this is God's world."
We are so fearful of what might happen if we step out and do something out of the ordinary that God is calling us to do. But, think with me for a moment: If God is in it, can it be ordinary?
I ran across this poem by Viney Wilder that I believe speaks well to God's call for us to be bold. The poem is "Lines from a Dull Life":
When the day is dark and gloomy, and the fog obscures your view,
And you feel there is no challenge, waiting anywhere for you
When it's routine you must follow, through a dreary weather chart,
And you feel the hand of duty, like a millstone on your heart;
Face the skies however darkened, when you ache to turn away
Do the job that lies before you; keep your courage one more day,
You can never guess how often you affect another's life
By the fact you are a doer not a quitter in the strife.
Get up, Holston! Gird your loins! God envisions BOLD, passionate and joyful communities of faith where the spiritual hunger to worship God and to serve Christ sets disciples on fire with Spirit-filled, risk taking love for all God's children until Holston Conference reflects the saving grace and redeeming justice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Bishop James Swanson
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