A Pioneer Spirit…in the Church
Aug 8th, 2008 by ljkim
I’m thinking of the Wild West era for some reason… Most people think of cowboys along the lines of John Wayne movies, or the families in Little House on the Prairie. I think the latter is probably closer to reality… The early Western settlers came from all different places (many from China, various European countries, and the eastern colonies), but they all had a few things in common – some called it a “pioneer spirit:”
1. They had a vision for what life COULD be, as opposed to what it happened to be at the moment. And they were willing to sacrifice for the vision.
2. They were self reliant in many ways… They had to be equipped to leave the comforts of their previous homes for a wilderness where they would have to fight for survival.
3. They knew how to rely on others… This sounds like it’s at odds with the previous statement, but it goes together. As a pioneer you couldn’t just rely on the general safety nets that your society put up, you had to actively build alliances (or better, friendships) in order to survive and thrive in these newly formed communities.
4. And they saw a need. Perhaps it was a need for a better future for themselves or their families. Or maybe it was a need for money or work – but they saw a real need that pushed them to set out for something new…
I mention this is because these are probably good qualities for spiritual pioneers too. People who are discovering God in ways that aren’t clearly marked out by one’s culture or traditions. People, maybe, who are part of a new church that isn’t clinging to tradition, but rather seeks to follow God in the real world today…
[About the photo: What you really want to know is why is there a picture of Jason here? If you imagine a raccoon cap on his head, I think you'll know...]
Related posts:
his head is usually cut off in all of our pictures due to height differences.
better his head than your chin.
I think I tend to do that when I take pictures. I figure once you’ve seen the eyebrows and the hairline, there’s really nothing more to see up there.
it’s ok……my hair is always so short that there isn’t much hair to see!
haha – we’d noticed once that on our webpage with the exec pics & bios, just about everyone’s heads were cut off. it’s stylish, so way to go, whoever took this shot!