Bold move.

I’m reading a book by Bill Hybels called “Axiom“. Chapter six in titled “Bold Move”. He talks about the fact that we don’t move forward, develop in our leadership, or accomplish anything great for God without bold moves:

You will never take big hills without making bold moves… Incrementalism and innovation make terrible bedfellows. Make a few bold moves, or else you’ll breathe your last leadership breath far too soon.

Your move.

This week my tank has been filled by eating, talking, listening, and worshipping with bold movers. Its church planting week at Liberty, and I’ve had the privilege of hanging with guys I’ve coached in the past, and students who are getting ready to launch out into ministry. Tonight I’ll teach a segment at a church planting activity for 200 hundred students.

Church planters make bold moves. My tank was filled by listening to stories from Lloyd Owen planting in Underground Atlanta, Todd Magouryk leading a team to Charleston, Jamie George charting new waters in Nashville, Ellis Prince tilling the hard soil in Baltimore. All bold movers.

My family has taken some bold moves. We moved to Atlanta eight years ago to help pioneer a church. God moves us back to a “new” church in Lynchburg this year. Its easy to get comfortable in ministry, in my Christ-walk, in my life. I’m reminded this week to keep taking bold moves.

Vance Pittman threw the challenge out today in convocation -

“Don’t be willing to go but plan to stay - rather, plan on going and be willing to stay.”

Scripture is filled with bold movers:

• Noah built a boat in a desert
• Abraham left his home country for an unseen territory
• Moses walked a nation of childish slaves toward a promised land
• David ran toward a giant, even though he was an underdog
• Jeremiah preached unpopular messages to stubborn people
• Nehemiah rebuilt a city in a wasteland
• Mary and Joseph pledged to raise a mystery Child
• Peter crossed racial barriers to give the good news
• Paul preached messages that would lead to his death.

Jesus left heaven, exposed Himself to our filth, and died with our laughter in His ears. Bold move.

I pray God pushed me to keep taking bold moves in my faith.