January 2012 GLEANINGS  

WWCCR Pastoral Focus for 2012
Embolden, Embody, Encourage!

At their retreat in August 2011, the WWCCR Board of Directors completed the process of discerning a pastoral focus for all the initiatives of WWCCR in 2012.  This process involved several months of prayer, brainstorming and discussion.  The focus words that were discerned are: “Embolden, Embody, Encourage!”

Brenda Wickersham, a member of the Board of Directors, wrote the following reflection on these focus words.

      Look forward to the year 2012 with great hope and expectation for the new and many ways that the Lord will reveal his plan and desires for you!    Christ, the reason for our hope and the rock of our foundation has great plans for us.  Where are we being led?  What are we taking with us? Who are we taking with us?   How will we know when we get “there”? 

      Recently, I had the opportunity to fly abroad.  Long trans-Atlantic flights are an opportunity to read, rest, pray and reflect.  Everything went very smoothly and we didn’t even experience the usual turbulence.  As I watched the plane on the flight map approach the skies of Ireland on its way to Paris, I was given to ask myself, “What if the Air France pilot was a few degrees off?”  Just a few degrees over thousands of miles of flight would lead us to “who knows where.”   This thought about being a few degrees off led me to think about how easy it is to be a few degrees off in our own lives.     It made me think of you, and me; and how our lives in WWCCR are helped to stay on track.

      We are called to be vigilant. Not asleep, or drunk, not of the night; but of the day. We are children of light.  St. Paul encourages us to “put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet that is hope for salvation.” (1 Thes 5:8)  It is in remaining vigilant that we become sensitive to the words of the Lord; his voice, his healing touch and his commands.  It is through keeping our eyes on Christ that we maintain our course.   

      Our work as Christians is to help other people to be moving in the right direction, recognizing that Christ is the way, the truth and the Light. This is everyone’s struggle, as well.  Jesus calls us to be shepherds, not sheep; fishers, not fish.  We all know the challenge of becoming comfortable in our own little world, the ease of becoming lukewarm and headed off course.   How often do we sit at our keyboards, ready for serious work or study, and with a single keystroke find ourselves out there on the web, surrounded by the distraction of other interests, ideas or messages.  There is a way past these detours. 

      In August,  Board members of WWCCR held a retreat to work and pray, discerning how the Lord is guiding us.  Keenly aware of challenges at every level, much time was spent in praise and thanks for how God wants to lead us and recognizing that our minds, hearts and souls have been designed to listen and follow.  The following three words were received in our prayer and discernment time.  They are meant to focus and guide our work in committees and programs in the year 2012: 

Embolden, Embody, Encourage!   

EMBOLDEN…meaning to render more courageous, allowing the Holy Spirit to fill you anew with a fresh strength of purpose.  What step forward would you take if given a bit more courage?   Ask the Holy Spirit for this courage, for this vision of direction.  The Holy Spirit will give it.   What change do you need to make?  Ask the Holy Spirit for the courage to do it; it will be given, one step at a time.   Jesus promised us this help, from the Paraclete.

Embody Christ….meaning to make Jesus more concrete and perceptible in your life, allowing your spirit to be refreshed and filled anew. Jesus modeled charity, compassion, humility, love, self-sacrifice, and obedience to his Father’s will.  “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”   Your mission and my mission, our mission, is to renew the face of the earth according to the Father’s will.  What one area would you change to move in conformity to our Father’s will?  

ENCOURAGE…meaning to inspire with courage, spirit or hope, as in raising the spirit of another in confidence toward  Christ, our hope and our rock.  The best form of encouragement is to show by example and explaining, when necessary.  Who in your life needs encouragement right now? 
Who do you want to bring along?  Who needs your help?  Who needs your hope?

Embolden, Embody, Encourage!  Now is our time, WWCCR!  We’ve been called.  Let us keep our hearts, minds and souls sharply  focused on Christ.  Be blessed and be Christ’s blessing to others now and in the coming year!