Walking through the conference centre foyer, I made my way to the barista and ordered a soy latte. Dairy gives me headaches. Actually, overworking gives me headaches. I knew what I needed. And I knew what was coming:
A short time of rest; a moment on a couch without the expectations on my shoulders of the coming week. I had a few days away meeting up with other Salvation Army colleagues who had entered ‘the Ministry’ at the same time a decade ago. This was a time for reflection and a time for recharging the batteries.
Though I wasn’t ready for what was about to come next.
The stories had dried up
As I pondered the world, in the slightly uncomfortable armchair, I couldn’t get a particular thought out of my head.
I was out of inspiration.
I mean, I was out of stories. The well had run a little dry.
Let me explain why.
I’ve spent 7 years in a wonderful Salvation Army community in Craigieburn, Victoria, Australia. I would preach with passion. I would teach with enthusiasm. I would share stories of what God was doing amongst his people. I would talk about the new breakfast program. I would highlight the new initiative just starting up. I would celebrate the wins from the weeks gone by.
Though, I was attending this time away, feeling I had run out of stories. And from a preacher’s perspective, I felt like I was preaching the same Bible passages week in and week out.
I would quote Psalm chapter 23, “The Lord is my shepherd…”. I would quote familiar passages such as, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, to heal the broken hearted and to set the captives free” (Isaiah chapter 61, verse 1). I would call people to action and challenge people to allow their faith to drive them into helping those less fortunate than themselves.
But the stories had dried up. I needed inspiration.
Then the word came to me…
In moments of reflection on that couch, I felt a whisper. I imagined it as the kind of whisper that Elijah experienced (1 Kings chapter 19), where God says, “What are you doing here Elijah?” This whisper pounded in my heart and soul:
“What’s the next chapter, Pete?”
“I don’t know. You know The Salvation Army is in charge on choosing the next chapter for me.”
“No, Pete. What’s the next chapter in the Scriptures?”
And then it dawned on me. I was out of stories, because I had stopped moving to the next chapter. I was reading what was familiar to me. I was content to stay where I was; like being on cruise control down a freeway, I was stuck on autopilot. That whisper has woken me up.
What’s the next chapter?
As I read Psalm chapter 23, “The Lord is my shepherd…” I felt God say, “Yes, but what does Psalm chapter 24 say?” What’s the next chapter? You know Isaiah chapter 61, great, but what’s the next chapter? What’s the next page say? What’s the next story highlight? What’s the next part of the narrative?
And with that, I’m moving again. I’m pushing through simply regurgitating the familiar and delving into new ideas and new truths that unravel as I venture forward into new chapters.
I was stuck. It wasn’t the end of the world, but I’m moving again. I feel like I have a renewed passion and desire to keep learning and reading and growing. I feel like this question, ‘What’s the next chapter?’ is going to sit with me for some time.
Get ready
If you’re a little stuck in your faith in Jesus, then I ask you the same question I felt God ask of me. “What’s the next chapter?” And are you willing to delve into new stories and new Scriptures and new revelations, beyond the familiar?
For me, the headache has subsided, and I’m no longer stuck. I’m reading on to the next chapter and I’m going to watch was God has in store.
Pete Brookshaw is the Senior Minister of The Salvation Army Craigieburn. He has a Bachelor of both Business and Theology and is passionate about the church being dynamic and effective in the world and creating communities of faith that are outward-focused, innovative, passionate about the lost and committed to societal change. He has been blogging since 2006 at http://www.petebrookshaw.com about leadership and faith and you can find him on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/petebrookshaw
Twitter: www.twitter.com/petebrookshaw
Peter Brookshaw’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/peter-brookshaw.html