I am back at Lake Junaluska, NC, leading worship at one of my favorite events, the training for new District Superintendents and Directors of Connectional Ministry in the United Methodist Church. We are using the book "Leading Causes of Life" to frame our worshipful work this week. Revisiting this book this year has reminded me of my own need to focus on the life and growth that springs audaciously among what feels like junk, to see assets instead of focusing only on problems, to practice leadership that is fearless and free to serve. So I went and pulled junk out of my favorite junk pile for a worship center and my friend David Valera went with me to document the process. I've posted these on my Facebook page (if you aren't my "friend," please become one by sending me a message about this blog).
But what I want to tell you here is something David shared with me today. He said that he had left photography for a couple of years as his ministry became so busy it left little time for anything else. But he discovered that not picking up the camera was draining him of some of his passion. So coming to the junk pile was part of his journey of reclaiming his spiritual practice of photography. He said, "I used to do it for a living." We looked at each other and at the same time we said, "Now I/you do it for LIVING!" It completely reframes that phrase for me! What we do for "our living" is not just the work we do, but also must feed our passion, our spirits, our souls... literally bring us life!
As promised to the participants, you can download the scripts for the worship this week here. Enjoy!
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