Dear Mission Family,
As I sat in my front porch sanctuary this morning, I once
again became vividly aware of the change in seasons that is sweeping over us,
both in a physical and a spiritual sense.
A few short weeks ago I was able to rest on my swing and view the
fractal line of a mountain ridge, a mile in the distance. Now my physical vision only extends out for
thirty yards before colliding with a wall of vegetation. As syrupy moisture laden air replaces the
cool and dry breezes of spring, I know that summer has arrived in the hills and
hollers. Many folks revere this time of
year. I am not counted among those who
do.
Another seasonal transformation, for many, is graduation
from various levels of schooling. Next
Saturday one of our favorite young men in the area will be walking through the
halls of the local high school for his last time as a student. As James stands with his classmates and tosses
his mortarboard high into the air, I will no doubt wonder- as I always do- how
many of our graduates are prepared to begin assuming the role of “adult”. I know that when I received my diploma I had
very little vision for my future. But I
did have the benefit of a mother, other relatives and friends, who helped encourage
me to grow beyond my current environment, into the concept of “responsibility”.
A few weeks back, I spoke to a group of high-school student
leaders. The meeting was at an off-site
location, so I was given the opportunity to challenge my audience in matters of
faith without much concern of “offense” (I’m so tired of hearing that
word). My message was one of “integrated
responsibility”, and this ahead of any perceived “rights”. I used the Gospel message of One Body with
many parts, and tried to illuminate the vital need in life for each of us to
see ourselves as a part of a bigger “whole”, and then to exercise our God-given
responsibility within that larger existence.
I advised these future leaders that the Gospel of Christ is not simply a
right to be claimed, though it IS the “Ultimate Right”, overcoming the offense
of sin. Using the illustration that the
Apostle Paul provides us in 1Corinthians 12, I spoke of our need to seize our
responsibility within this Greater Body, living out the Gospel by “one-anothering”
as an integrated part of our salvation.
Integration has long been at the heart of Hills and Hollers
Ministries. After all, this concept is what
relationship is all about; seeing the interconnectedness of ourselves with
another and then exercising our responsibility within that union. Integration is NOT about using someone else’s
resources to benefit our own quest. It
is about recognizing how our personal gifts and talents can build up a needful
part of the Body, thus bringing improved health to the Greater Whole! This is just as true for individual people as
it is for businesses and ministry organizations. By necessity, integration MUST be a “reciprocal”
undertaking. Without that condition
developing, the growth of the Body is stunted.
“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part if
honored, every part rejoices with it.” (1Cor. 12:26)
As I go about my daily ministry here in the hills and
hollers, I am saddened as I see “contribution” being a substitute for real integration.
Opportunities for relationship are often
bypassed for the sake of accomplishment of a mission. Personally, I try to connect at a deeper
level with everyone who comes to our ministry center in search of assistance,
desiring to discover how our “parts” might draw health from each other. I pray that each of us look outside of the
sphere of our current relationships to draw an appreciation for the Greater
Whole… and then discover our responsibility within it!
