Light the Fire!

Today I was reading Bill Hybels' book "Holy Discontent" which is about firing up the passion in our lives which will see us moving out of the normal state of complacency in which most of us spend our lives achieving nothing, into the passionate state where we find our God-given purpose, our reason for being.

For most people, it will be a real moment of revelation to read this very simple book. For others who long ago discovered their God-calling, it will be rather ho hum.

While I was reading this, in the car on our way to Newcastle, there was an item on the radio about the Adventurers' Awards presented by the Australian Geographic Society last night. One award was for the man who attempted to kayak from Sydney to New Zealand and who was,apparently, washed overboard just 100 km from his goal. Another award was for a man who earlier this year spent 15 days under water in a dam near Albury in a self-contained capsule that generated oxygen from algae in the capsule and produced electricity in a pedal-powered generator- his experience is proving invaluable to organisations such as NASA in planning for very long distance space expeditions.

These adventurers embody what Bill Hybels is about in his book. They have identified something that calls them, something that demands their response to try something that seems totally unrealistic.

Fred Hollows was driven by the appalling incidence of blindness in the Aboriginal community. As an ophthalmic surgeon he knew that a simple, cheap operation would restore sight to literally thousands of people in the outback. So he set up his foundation to raise money and volunteers to meet this need. Later he developed a cheap method of producing corneal implants that would allow them to be produced in places like Eritrea so that local doctors in Africa or Asia could replicate and multiply his work there.

Bill talks about the "Popeye moment"- that time where many of us come to the place where "we can't stand it any more" and have to eat the spinach to unleash the supernatural power to change what angers us.

I've had several "Popeye moments" in my life. Ultimately, what drives me is the passion to see the people of God equipped to fulfil their destiny- and in particular to take Jesus into our community. I know that New Life will grow to be a church of 1000. We have good, godly people who love Jesus and share the dream.

So what's your passion, your drive?

I know Margaret Baxter longs to see the High School filled with people, students and staff who love Jesus.

I know Margaret Bates just loves to see people become all they can become.

I know Rozina wants to see every young person reach their potential.

What about you?