The Edge of Adventure

Some years ago, Bruce Larson wrote a book called, "The Edge of Adventure". I never really understood the full meaning of the title - until today. You see, for the last 31 years I have been the pastor of a local congregation. (I spent nearly 10 months out of the pastorate some 12 years ago but, during that hiatus, I always felt like I would be returning to a pastorate somewhere). Today, I have spent the first Sunday in my adult life believing that I will probably never return to a local pastorate. Anything is possible, and I will not suggest that I will never be a pastor of a local church again, but I feel like the possibility is remote. I have begun a new chapter of my life with little knowledge of what lies ahead. The next four years will be in the library and in the classroom. Research and writing - that is my lot for the next four years. I look forward to it with release and abandon. It is a chapter I have been waiting two decades to write.
What are you waiting for? What is the dream you hope to see happen? What adventure lies ahead of you? I kept thinking about Elijah today. He has been in my thoughts for more than a year now. He marched into the palace, confronted King Ahab, gave the Word of the Lord that no rain would fall until he came back and said, "Thus saith the Lord". Then he walked out of the palace into an unknown future. Apparently, he didn't even know where he was to go. Sometimes, that is the exact place that God desires that we should be - in a place that has a future, but that future is unknown to everyone except God. God had ravens at the ready, babbling brooks full of fresh water, and plenty of food to be brought to Elijah at the brook. All of which Elijah did not know. He delivered a message and walked into an unknown future and knew he was living in the Will of God. In a world where comfort and control are highly prized, being in a place where you have neither is undesirable. Unless God leads you into that place.
Nearly 10 months ago, Joanie and I sensed that God was leading us into a time in our lives where the future would be uncertain and our need to have faith in the God of the Future would necessarily have to increase. We sensed that the greatest times of our lives where ones in which our dependence on God was high and our knowledge of the future was low. Living dependently was, for us, living on the edge of faith (or, maybe, in the center of faith). It was highly desirable. And so, today, we ventured into life without knowing the future. Living a different life than that of the last 31 years. Scary? Nah. Exciting. You bet. This is what I have come to understand it means to live on "The Edge of Adventure".