Normal Life

July 24, 2013 | by | Vineyard

I’m decompressing from this past week’s National Vineyard “All In” Conference. What an amazing time we had being recalibrated for the next leg of our journey as a movement. Every session helped unpack what it means to live out this kingdom journey together as a committed extended family. I was particularly struck by Rich Nathan’s talk on how to walk this life out in wisdom that leads to maturity and longevity. What I loved about his talk was that it was so ‘main and plain’. Rich addressed the challenge of getting normal everyday life right, which is where we all live most of the time. The mostly unspectacular, methodical walkathon through life’s complications. A step-by-step, day-by-day, year after year of doing life God’s way.

Over my years in the Vineyard I’ve known a number of the most gifted, signs and wonders people of our generation that tragically made a mess of their lives, crashed and burned, ruining their ministries, leaving countless disillusioned and wounded people in their wake all because they couldn’t get normal, everyday life right.

So here’s my concern for our movement is that after having experienced an exhilarating week of high-powered Spirit worship and ministry that we lose sight of the fact that most of life is ordinary and easily taken lightly as if its unspiritual. But it’s a walkathon of mostly living a quiet life of love with God, family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. And those that do it best do it by applying the main and plain tools the Holy Spirit makes available to us everyday through the Word, prayer, community and service.

I want the Vineyard to be a people that expect miracles and can do the stuff of the kingdom. A people who believe for big things and through whom God can use to pull off a miracle or two when called for. But more than anything else I want us to be people who love extravagantly and live out the main and plain of everyday life well, wisely, in a God-honoring way so that the world gets to see a better way to live ordinary life that causes them to put their trust in Jesus.

I’m decompressing from this past week’s National Vineyard “All In” Conference. What an amazing time we had being recalibrated for the next leg of our journey as a movement. Every session helped unpack what it means to live out this kingdom journey together as a committed extended family. I was particularly struck by Rich Nathan’s talk on how to walk this life out in wisdom that leads to maturity and longevity. What I loved about his talk was that it was so ‘main and plain’. Rich addressed the challenge of getting normal everyday life right, which is where we all live most of the time. The mostly unspectacular, methodical walkathon through life’s complications. A step-by-step, day-by-day, year after year of doing life God’s way.

Over my years in the Vineyard I’ve known a number of the most gifted, signs and wonders people of our generation that tragically made a mess of their lives, crashed and burned, ruining their ministries, leaving countless disillusioned and wounded people in their wake all because they couldn’t get normal, everyday life right.

So here’s my concern for our movement is that after having experienced an exhilarating week of high-powered Spirit worship and ministry that we lose sight of the fact that most of life is ordinary and easily taken lightly as if its unspiritual. But it’s a walkathon of mostly living a quiet life of love with God, family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. And those that do it best do it by applying the main and plain tools the Holy Spirit makes available to us everyday through the Word, prayer, community and service.

I want the Vineyard to be a people that expect miracles and can do the stuff of the kingdom. A people who believe for big things and through whom God can use to pull off a miracle or two when called for. But more than anything else I want us to be people who love extravagantly and live out the main and plain of everyday life well, wisely, in a God-honoring way so that the world gets to see a better way to live ordinary life that causes them to put their trust in Jesus.