What Shimmers?

"There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight.” (Exodus 3:2-3) 

Hello friends,

At The Vine, we talk about ourselves as a “discerning community” — Vestry (i.e. board) is a discerning community within this discerning community. When I invite you to serve, I’ll remind you: “I prefer a well-discerned ‘no’ rather than a poorly discerned ‘yes.’” It’s true. If we do not listen to the Lord in our decisions, we become over-active, under-active, or motivated by things other than the Lord and His longing for our flourishing.

But how do we discern? — by pausing to notice “what shimmers.”

For today’s purposes, how does a household — parents and kids, roommates, college life, married, singles, etc. — discern the Lord’s leading year by year? Your Vestry and staff have been reading through Ruth Haley Barton’s book Strengthening the Soul of your Leadership. She comments on discernment in light of the Scripture passage above:

“All of us have burning bushed in our lives, places that shimmer with grace, alerting us to the possibility that God is at work doing something that we could not have predicted.” (Barton, 64)

In other words: What’s shimmering? — What do we have energy for? What do we feel a pull to “turn aside and look” at with curiosity? Where does the Lord seem to be drawing me, however surprising or mundane? This is pausing to notice “the activity of God so we can join him in it.” (Barton, 68)

Our upcoming small groups, our call for Vestry nominees, and the New Wineskins conference are some good and life-giving invitations for Vine folks to participate in the life of this community. 

May I invite you to pause, turn aside, and read through them. Notice what is “shimmering.” (If nothing, then there’s the starting point for your conversation with the Lord.) You can invite and trust that He longs to speak to you through your desires, His Spirit, your interests, His Word’s guidance, and your decision to “turn aside.” Because it is discerning individuals who make up a discerning community.

God’s peace on your homes,

Michael+