Crossroads
Have you ever had one of those "AHA!" moments? When things you have been thinking about; conversations and messages you've heard all come together in one big crash. I had one of those moments yesterday at a church while I was on vacation. And as proof God has a sense of humor- the name of the church is Crossroads. It was a simple service...singing (not fluffy feel good songs for the skeptics out there), offering, and the message but left a profound impact on my mind and soul.
I have been feeling torn (if you haven't noticed from my posts) about the future of the Army. I've been questioning my own place as a nonconformist in the conformity driven environment. I've been questioning motives and campaigns, personal and mandated. I've been losing sleep over the present complacency to ride the Army name.
But the AHA moment came by hearing 3 very familiar passages (the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the Prodigal son). The pastor said these words (paraphrasing): "The church exsists for those on the outside- the nonmembers; but we have become a club for members only. When it becomes about preserving self over including others, we're in trouble." The problem Jesus had with the Pharisees was not their rules and regulations, it was their attitude of self preservation. The maintenance of their religion and traditions became more important than God's purposes.
Have we become self preserving? Have we placed importance and security of the familiar (songbooks, lingo, titles, uniform, numbers) over the inclusion of strangers into our corps? Have we become so "good" at being different that we are unappealing to everyone but ourselves? If we were about what we claim would we be having such difficulty fulfilling our mission? Are we so busy having internal meetings to discuss strategy that is 20 years too late? Should we have a flexibility- not a superficial flexibility- to implement community programs and services? Sadly, many would cry out that there would be no standard and many would sit back and do nothing (I know this is true..so how do we "fix" that problem). Do we trust the ordained to minister to the flocks or are we so concerned with filling spots we aren't as selective as the movement needs us to be? Do we look good at the expense of individual and corporate salvation?
I do not suggest we throw the baby out with the bathwater...the Army was raised for such a time as this, but are we chasing a sportscar with a tricycle? We must look past the ranks to the outside. Remmber our roots, not make them our religion. Refocus, restructure, and recommit. More to follow...but what do you think? Are we at a crossroads in our history...where do we go from here?