I have been thinking about lot lately about what I am good at.  I am not trying to create a list of things that I can do, or what I like to do, but what I am truly gifted at.  I believe that all of us want to grow, learn, succeed, become better at what we do, accomplish, and be the person that God intended us to be.

But how am I cultivating that?

A good portion of my life is wasted on things unnecessary and dreaming of schemes larger than I am able to grasp.  I want to be one of those people who know who they are and, maybe more importantly, know who they are not.

I watched this video a while back and a single stood out to me.  It was created by Patagonia, an outdoor outfitter and overall activist for ecology and simplicity.

“To be a citizen of the earth is to put one’s brief life to the use of one’s dearest gifts.”

The obvious question is “what are my dearest gifts?”  Dearest is such a brilliant choice of words as well, I love that our gifts are dear to us and that some of them are more emotional than others.  Life was intended to be simple.  Busy with the right stuff.  Complex in the things that you were created to be.

Let us not chase after fasle ambition, selfish desires, or delusions of grandeur.  Lets be who we are.  Lets love in a way that is surprising, be generous in a way that is compelling, and forgive in a way that brings us back to a posture of wonder.

Sometimes knowing what not to do is the greatest learning of all.

The story of the church should be a human voice that inspires and educates.  I recently read a chapter from Patagonia’s Let My People Go Surfing that created a conversation within my staff.

Patagonia is a company that prides itself on being passionate about the natural world, a love for human-powered sports, respect for adventure, and clothes that do nothing to hinder the lifestyle of it’s shoppers.  They also believe that their customers are people who don’t shop for entertainment, are not looking to junk up their life, or be the target of aggressive advertising (Sadly, I find myself deeply compelled to wear their clothes so that people will think that I am deep, simple, and refusing to buy into consumerism.  Their brilliant marketing has worked.).  This is Patagonia’s story.

What does it mean to tell the story of the church?

Most people outside the church would describe the Church as being a judgmental group that destroys all fun in the world and creates a standard of living designed for us to fail.  But we are people who believe the church is a living, breathing community bonded together by trying to follow Jesus.

The junior high world consists of trying to be cool, spending money on items that will make them look cool, and talking like people who they think are cool.  How does the church fit into that lifestyle?

We inspire and educate.  Following Jesus is about loving your neighbor, serving the broken, and being loved by God even though we don’t deserve it.  The story of the church is one of brokenness and redemption, exile and return.  Junior high students need to find their story and how it is fully connected and intertwined with God’s story.  That is the church.