Back in May I shared a picture of a group of guys that went through the Navigator Training Center at Michigan State University. I shared then that it was a high powered group. Here is the rest of the story.
We were all required to work 20 hours a week, study the Bible 20 hours a week as a requirement to lead an area of the campus. So if we were involved in ministry at the campus for 20 – 30 hours each week we were putting in about 60 to 70 hours a week for those two years. Sometimes more.
All of the guys in the picture were type A’s. All were committed and passionate about what we were doing. All were committed to digging in the Word for those 20 hours. So when we came together each week there was fairly heated discussion, if there was some disagreement over something that we saw in the Word, well let’s just say everyone held their ground. We joked that at the end of the study each week there was blood and hair on the ceiling. It is that whole Proverbs 27:17 thing. Our wives were in the next room with Larry’s wife Pat doing their study. Every time we drove back to our apartment in faculty housing Jenny would ask me if we really did like each other.
It happened again today.
I mentioned in the earlier post that two of those men are in the Tuesday morning study. We met this morning over Hebrews 5:11 – 6:20. There was significant disagreement on a number of issues in the text. We meet on GoToMeeting and the conversation at times was at a high level, volume wise. At one point I had to ask forgiveness of the group for something I said.
After the call, Jenny stuck her head into my office and asked, “Are you still friends?” Oh yeah. There are few people in this world with whom I can share at that level, intellectually, spiritually, and volume. We have beat on each other for years. Challenging each other’s thinking. Challenging each other’s ministry decisions. It has been rich. It has been an anchor of sorts.
I urge you to develop these types of relationships. Pay whatever price you have to pay to maintain them.
We were all required to work 20 hours a week, study the Bible 20 hours a week as a requirement to lead an area of the campus. So if we were involved in ministry at the campus for 20 – 30 hours each week we were putting in about 60 to 70 hours a week for those two years. Sometimes more.
It happened again today.
I mentioned in the earlier post that two of those men are in the Tuesday morning study. We met this morning over Hebrews 5:11 – 6:20. There was significant disagreement on a number of issues in the text. We meet on GoToMeeting and the conversation at times was at a high level, volume wise. At one point I had to ask forgiveness of the group for something I said.
After the call, Jenny stuck her head into my office and asked, “Are you still friends?” Oh yeah. There are few people in this world with whom I can share at that level, intellectually, spiritually, and volume. We have beat on each other for years. Challenging each other’s thinking. Challenging each other’s ministry decisions. It has been rich. It has been an anchor of sorts.
I urge you to develop these types of relationships. Pay whatever price you have to pay to maintain them.
I love it! If something is not worth emotion and conviction it's not worth much! Been there a few times myself....
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