While I Am Out

No one was more surprised by this forced "sabbatical" due to my health than I have been. Simply put, I don't like it. It seemed we were just beginning to see some things click. As I have said publicly, I have no doubt this time away has been God-ordained and designed. That being said, I have given some thought to what I am praying for during this time ... for me and for the people called "ClearView" I have come to love so much. Pray with me along these lines as well as whatever God may bring to your mind to pray during these weeks.

For ClearView:
1. Fresh wind of God's Spirit. It is easy to get in a rut and expect "more of the same" week by week. When it comes to God's work in our lives, that is dangerous. While God's character is consistent, He so often moves in different ways in our lives. Always consistent with His written Word, but always fresh. I am excited to see what God will do in fresh ways in the lives of the ClearView family during these days.

2. Be reminded of a lack of dependence on any human leader(s). I have said I would be honored if people would forget my name and remember God's work in their lives. My desperate prayer is that people see God at work in their lives and not Mark. The mission and ministry of ClearView must never depend on one person or even a small group of people for that matter. I fully expect the ministry of ClearView to thrive during this time I am away. It was thriving before I arrived 3+ years ago and it must continue to do so now. ClearView has strong leadership at all levels that will continue to lead.

For me:
1. A reminder it is not all dependent on me. It is easy to get a Pastor's complex that more depends on me than it really does. This is a time I am forced to step back and allow God to do what alone can do. At times, I tend to get in the way. This is a great time for me to learn again, "He must increase and I must decrease." I desperately want to learn what that looks like.

2. A time to reflect. I have already had a couple of experiences over the past few weeks that have caused me to reflect in ways I haven't reflected before. At the risk of being a bit melodramatic, a cardiac arrest (see post below) does get your attention. I have preached about the brevity and fragile nature of life before, but I can assure you it has never been more real to me than it is now. I have never had to take a break for this length of time. And I have never taken a break of any length when God has had my attention to the degree He does on this one.

My desire is to grow exponentially spiritually during this time. So my prayer is God will do a work in the heart of this pastor and the people I am called to shepherd so we may see greater miracles in the future than we have seen in the past ... all for His glory!