What is a good report?

I'll be perfectly honest and say that I don't know how I feel about Sunday. The end of my work week has come, and the notes and graphs of what I'll share Sunday are in place. Saturday morning will be the last go through for me. It's typically at this point that rallying leaders say, "I'm so excited about what I have to share this Sunday." But this week I'm afraid I'm not much of a rallying leader.

Is it a good report if you say that we have more money than we did last year? Is it a good report if you say we have more people? Is it a good report if we baptized four? Is it a good report if we added the commitments of new members?

All of those things are indicators, measurements of intangible ministry in tangible terms. And we scored on the plus side of all of them. BUT, there's so much more.

There's the mission. The calling of Jesus Christ to bring his healing and life to the lost, and we've only scratched the surface. There's the weight on my heart that says we must find the voice of God in our church. We must hear the Spirit speak. We must make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey God's word.

The vision that the Lord has given me could be grand, but mainly it's frightening. Perhaps that's why the Lord keeps directing me to Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

I believe that God is calling us forward. It's as though there is the Jordan river that is waiting to be crossed, and land that is waiting to be possessed. We will cross through the river. We will possess the land. We will be strong and very courageous. For God is with us, wherever we go.

That is my rally cry. Pray up! We're on the move. See you Sunday.

--Ben