Further
My journey of pastoral artistry has taken me down some "I'll never go down that one" paths. My illusion of where I'd be in the latter years of pastoral artistry has become just that, an illusion. The latest "never" to become reality is the "never" of graveyard shifts. I have always valued sleep too much to do anything other than truly admire those who watch over us and work for us in the darkness. When my story is done it will now include a chapter of working in a family homeless shelter. I have no idea who thought that this was a necessary side stop along the road to establishing a new church. I'd have never scripted this. In fact, if I knew that it was part of the deal, I'd have excercised the "Jonah" clause and jumped the next boat out in the opposite direction. It can be challenging not seeing where you're headed.
I have a distinct memory from several years back of a boat journey on a beautiful Summer day on a beautiful "Great Lake". When you journey out onto a body of water large enough, you can get to the point where the shore you came from disappears before the shore you are headed to appears. If you aren't paying attention, you can travel across for quite some time without really noticing ... With an illusion you know where you're going, all the time just soaking it in. However, just possibly, at the point you loose sight of the shore you began from, and before the one you are headed to comes into view, there might be a moment of anxiety while you try to grab onto your bearings. A momentary feeling of "lost" can come up quite fast. It's at that point, if panic is to be averted, you must focus on the heading. You may have a focal point. You may have coordinates, gps, or even the ever reliable compass. The important thing is that there is something leading you further along the journey.
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