Off Seeds in the Springtime
March 2021
I first arrived in Poland 12 years ago as a missionary. During that time, I would have encounters each week with people from unreached people groups and countries closed to the gospel, and was amazed at the opportunities God was providing. I wanted to encourage the Polish church to take advantage of this, so I shared my heart with a new pastor of an international church, and they asked me to start a ministry to students and young professionals.
Over time, it became clear that our mission was to raise up believers and leaders, and mobilize them to return to their home countries as fully committed followers of Christ with the gospel. When they moved away, they were commissioned to be on mission with God, wherever they went. It was years later, during my Kairos Head Facilitator training, that I met a church mobilizer and realized what my true calling had been all along: I’M A MOBILIZER!
I live in a part of the world where we have four seasons. Spring is my favorite. Most days, I take a “wonder walk” in prayer with the Lord, looking for new life springing up from the dead barren ground. The emerging colors are beautiful, and the flowers are lovely. I imagine the dormant seeds, releasing small amounts of energy as they wait for water and oxygen, the conditions necessary to grow and burst forth.
I am reminded of Jesus’ words in John 12:24-26 when alluding to His death:
“I tell you the truth: unless a grain of wheat is planted in the ground and dies, it remains a solitary seed. But when it is planted, it produces in death a great harvest. The one who loves this life will lose it, and the one who despises it in this world will have life forevermore. Anyone who serves Me must follow My path; anyone who serves Me will want to be where I am, and he will be honored by the Father.” (The Voice)
After returning from furlough in the USA last year, I joined the SM European Global Regional Team and one month later, most of Europe (and the world) had shut down. I became very ill with COVID, too weak to make a decision about going to the hospital, and too prideful to call for an ambulance.
By God’s grace, I pulled through the worst phase of the illness and while I was still with fever, I started wondering, “How can we move forward while staying in place?” I was familiar with Zoom and decided to try to run The Unfinished Story. Some of our European Global Region Team and forum leaders participated to see how it could work. Thus began this unexpected season of consulting, assisting, coaching and developing online formats to assist other mobilizers.
Our plans, methods, hopes, ministries, mobilization––they are seeds buried and dying to our expectations, awaiting the right conditions in order to spring forth renewed. As we approach this Holy Week, take time to reflect on the death, burial and resurrection of Christ: What seeds must die? Which hopes, dreams and ideas are lying entombed, waiting for the conditions necessary for growth? In what ways does your call to mobilize the sleeping giant need resurrection?
Be encouraged to see where His path is leading us next as fellow harvesters, mobilizing His people and His church to be on mission with God.
