Waiting on the edge of a plateau

So much of my ministry right now is waiting. I feel like everyday I am waiting for something to happen “so that” (fill in the blank here). I am waiting to finish my master’s degree so that I can finally leave Abilene and go see a church planting movement begun here in the States. When I discovered that I could begin doing what I am learning while here in Abilene, I rushed out only to find myself waiting again; waiting to be blessed and released by those I respect most in my world right now to participate in God’s mission, planting small, simple churches here in this city.

I suppose most importantly, I am learning that waiting on the Lord brings peace, while waiting around on people brings only than frustration. People are not on my time schedule, and that makes me frustrated. I want to see things done my way, and right now. At the same time, I learn that God is also not on my timetable, and that leaves me with a choice. I can choose to seek after HIS time, finding peace, or press on with my own agendas remaining blind to what God is calling me to do.

What exciting things lie in store for me as I continue on? What must God do in me first that will prepare me for these future events?

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In a not-so-completely unrelated topic, from Neil Cole and Paul Kaak’s Greenhouse Material Cultivating the Heart of a Leader is a list of 10 Characteristics Seen in a Spiritual Plateau:

  1. Avoids relationships of personal accountability.
  2. Infrequent personal application of God’s Word.
  3. Joy, peace and love are replaced with envy and resentment.
  4. Frequently looks for greener pastures somewhere else.
  5. More easily finds faults in others than in self.
  6. Burned out from lots of activity that has been substituted for intimacy in Christ.
  7. Compromises on ethical principles once held dear.
  8. Stays within safe areas of expertise rather than branching out into new learning experiences.
  9. More of a teacher than a learner. Talks more than listens. Easily offended or uninterested in the instruction coming from others.
  10. The Christian life is reduced to a rut of routine.

Are there other qualities of plateau that you have seen in yourself or in others?

How will you avoid a spiritual plateau?

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