The power of community is “their” corporate Vision of God coupled with “your” personal vision. Have you ever been part of a rally, or a protest, or a search where all the people have one goal, one focus, one vision? To fight, find or facilitate a common solution.

You can feel the energy rising every minute you are among them. You later return home still pumped from the experience of this joint vision.

Now imagine if that was happening in the Christian Church. If everyone had one goal, one focus, one dream? And imagine if your Upward Call of God fell in line with theirs?

Wouldn’t that make your feel safe, accepted, loved, hopeful and free to do what God has called you to do along with them as your support, your encouragement, your inspiration.

It meets Your Approval

The Affect that Jesus has on your Lifistry will move you toward this cause, this Church. this conclusion – a combined vision with one focus – advancing the Kingdom of God.

When I first came into the Church, I was unaware of my Kingdom Works or my Kingdom Cause. I knew what I did not want to do, but I had no idea what I was called to do.

The things that I was called to do happened to be outside of the Church building more often than inside, but a couple of churches had allowed me to bring them into the building.

Today, I am so grateful for the air time because I was able to practice my craft with Christians and get it more focused into what it is today. My Upward Call of God meets my approval and yours should meet yours.

Embrace Your Call

Once my call met my approval it then becomes about embracing it 24/7 which was harder to do. Embracing God’s will for me in Church community was hard fought at first (15 whole years) because I expected them to embrace my call inside the Church. I knew all along that it would be performed outside the church building, but I felt like I needed them to need me before I could feel free to embrace my calling.

The Lord has been giving the Church divine direction throughout their Christian Lifistry yet our longing to bring our own particular Upward Call into community, without His approval, is stunting our growth into our own ministry.

Our Spiritual growth might coincide with your Church’s vision but our Kingdom Cause (Visionary Ministry) may not. There are plenty of Visionary Ministries born outside the church building (Red Cross, Proverbs 31 Ministry, Living Proof Live just to name a few).

Embracing your call, inside or outside, of the church building is the difference between freedom and oppression. For us to feel safe, accepted, loved then hopeful and free to actively accomplish what God has called us to do, we have to embrace where our call will be released.

My goal for you is the same as the Lord’s goal for you – to accept and embrace your Upward Call of God, easier today than yesterday, through practising and more practising and advanced practising it until it becomes what God has already created it to be. 

My Visionary Living Advice 💦 for this week is to go into your community, secure in the your Upward Call of God, and secure in where He is going to release it (inside or outside of the building) knowing that a full life is waiting for you in it. 

Join me in #MidlifeMinistryMakers for tons more clever and clear Visionary Living Advice to aid you in your climb up the Ministry Mountain to shout the Name of Jesus.

There is a gamut of ways people will treat you no matter what you say or do. To land in the AND is to be emotionally healthy in your community.

The Queen

I don’t really know what this one is like but I am sure some of you do. You are treated like a queen in some of your circles.

When you walk in the room, everyone stops talking to pay close attention to what you are going to say or do. They don’t physically bow but they have done it emotionally.

You have and take authority over what is happening and how it is happening. Queens can be bullies, in this hierarchy of treatment, or they can be generous. It all depends on how they want people to treat them.

The Vagabond

This one I know well. I am ignored by my sisters and my feelings are ignored by my parents. I am the vagabond in my family and some social circles.

You might know this feeling too. You attend events and no one sits with you. You go to help work and they put you alone in your work.

You can hear others having fun but you are never included. Vagabonds can choose to draw away from Church family or they can remain to be God’s servant. It all depends on how they want people to treat them.

AND

This is really where I lie in the gap between queen and vagabond — AND. I don’t ever remember being treated as queen but know what it look like to be treated as a vagabond.

I am not treated like a queen in any of my social circles. No one has so much respect for me that they are not afraid to tell me I am wrong or to stop me in my tracks with a word.

I am sure there are plenty of people who will have nothing to do with me because of who I am but mostly it is in my own imagination that I am a vagabond.

I don’t have a slew of close friends who are at my side all the time. I don’t have a best friend. I don’t have a group of women I go out for coffee with monthly. I could make this happen but I don’t for fear of being hurt again.

I am safe. I am accepting. I am honest. I am a staunch Jesus follower. I have things I definitely need to work on. I am an emotionally healthy Christian. I am effective in my ministry. I am in love with life.

AND…

I am intimidating. I am devoted to the truth about me and you. I am steadfast when I set my mind to something. I am brash sometimes. I am loud sometimes. I am right sometimes. My mind is my own. I am convicted all the time. I am repentant to the Lord and you. I am not dumb or easily deceived.

I want people to treat me like an “AND” but sometimes they will treat me like a Vagabond because I don’t treat them like a “Queen”. When my ministry is in full swing, I am sure women will treat me like a queen until they get to know me better. 

My Visionary Living Advice 💦 for this week is to be comfortable being treated as a queen and as a vagabond but set your face to be treated like an “AND” every where you go.

Who can tell me who I am? Only Jesus. Only you.

How often have you been told to be like Christ or to be Christ-like? Or even told to be like someone else? 

Sermon after sermon has been preached on the character of Christ. But there has been few sermons telling us how to actually get that done or even where to get started.

This week we are going to get started by answering our question of identity in the church.

Who does Jesus say we are so we can bring that woman into the church and start sharpening her into a “Woman of Vision” for the Church?

Who am I?

This happens to be the most asked question by Christians and by secular folk. It mainly refers to what we are going to do to give us significance in the world. We want to feel valued in the church and in the world.

I have asked this question of Jesus for years because I seem to be changing every single day. Is that appropriate to have happen?

Yes it is, for all of us. Asking this question is not a sin, nor does it mean we are confused about our identity. We are committing our identity to how valued we are.

What it means is that we are in the process of figuring out this new woman in Christ today so we can be confident in her ability to thrive tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s Me

The Woman of Vision knows that tomorrow brings a new person, a new task, a new thrill for ministry, a new task to accomplish on our climb up the Ministry Mountain.

Tomorrow’s me will not look like today’s me if I am being conformed into the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29).

Only look back at the “Yesterday You” for proof of growth, grace and God’s transforming work in your life. Work today to prepare for tomorrows transformation.

My Visionary Living Advice 💦 for you this week is to daily prepare by accepting Yesterday You, devising today’s target and embracing tomorrow’s transformation.

This week in Midlife Ministry Makers we are going to do a deep dive for divine direction into Biblical Power Tool #174. You can watch the excerpt here.

#lifistrydisciplines #lifistrydiscipline_5 #ChristianCommunity #its_about_time #liveyourvision #yourway

Have you ever pushed your way through a blinding bush to find, on the other side, a breathtaking view?

That is what it is like to push your way through the brick wall that holds you back from accomplishing your directive of growing into your ministry. It can be hard, changing our mind about our authority to do it, but on the other side of it is a breathtaking hope for life on this earth.

The one thing that is imperative and I want for “Women of Vision” is to push through that brick wall standing between you and your “Upward Call of God” to grow into the ministry you where born for.

Unanswered Questions form the Bricks

From the time I realized I was called until now the one thing (not the only thing) that has hovered over me, and been repeatedly voiced to me is that my ministry does not have church backing therefore it cannot exist.

This wall erected by other first, than reinforced by me (unwittingly) over the years, has been my wall to break down over the past 5 years as I grow my Marketplace Ministry.

For some reason, in my ignorance, I didn’t question it. AND I was never able to get church backing either. Every single time I attempted to grow my ministry under the umbrella of an established church, it was removed by someone who was threatened by it or did not care much about its work.

Break the Wall DOWN one Brick at a Time

You have a wall and it just may be that you don’t think you have the gift of leadership, or you don’t know your talents and skills can be repurposed into the Kingdom. Or maybe it is because you have not spent time enough with the Lord to garner His strength to fight for what is already yours.

He has called you into His Kingdom to encourage and equip it. He has allowed this wall for you to gain the strength to tear it down as you build up your ministry.

Not all at once, but one brick at a time. (I can hear the sigh)

One false directive at a time.

One intimidation at a time.

One scare tactic at a time.

Don’t be scared or weary of it, because every brick has its own strength and with it a forgiveness for both you and your adversary. The Lord is going to be with you to equip and empower you with each brick you disassemble and each person you forgive for installing that brick.

Start your journey with the Lead or Bust Workshop. Take one question off the table. “Am I really called to lead?”

Once that is off the table all bets are off. Go break down that wall, one brick at a time!!!!!

It’s about time to live your vision your way with Kathleen Derbyshire, the Visionary Living Advisor. She equips and empowers Women of Vision called into ministry, who are brave enough to heed the call of God for their life to equip and empower others.