Surrendering the Baton

In the life span of any great endeavor there is a beginning, middle and an end. Some endeavors, especially those inspired by God, are so vast that those who begin them will never live to see their ultimate fulfillment. However, as with Abraham even he was able to see in faith the day that Jesus would come and fulfill all things.

As a missionary who is on such a journey I can recall times when I was convinced that I could run an outright sprint until my dying days and see all that God had promised come to fruition while I was yet in my vigor. I have seen many start this sprint only to drop dead in the process. Their focus and vision were so intense that they ignored all warnings and wisdom. With each lap they ran at full speed right past the person who was next in the relay because they were running for personal gold. Families suffered, health failed and the race ended early. Also, those who were waiting patiently for the baton grew frustrated and decided to start their own race.

Others who paced themselves a little better still had to face the reality of the end of their influence in a specific area. In short, they either embraced this or they fought it to the very end. I for one have sprinted until I dropped and also survived by God’s grace only to face a more sober reality, the reality that I will not take Ukraine for Jesus. The years of effective service in one area are finite, and this window is even narrower when I am ministering in a foreign culture.

My vision for Ukraine has in no way diminished, but I understand that I was never called to take Ukraine or any other country. The task is too great for any one man, and it will take longer than any one lifetime.

I am still ministering to young people, but I am now older than their parents so I know that another generation must take over this work. I am also not the best one suited to be a senior pastor in Ukraine. The main reason is that I am not Ukrainian. I can do the work, I speak the language but the job was simply not meant for me. It was meant for Ukrainians.

While some would see this as the end of ministry, for me it is in-fact the beginning of the greatest years. The reason being is that those whom I work with know that this is my value system. They know that I only want to equip them to do exploits in God, and they know that I do not want the glory, the individual gold. Because of this they only invite me more into what they are doing, and I have found that my effectiveness and influence are actually increasing. I am thoroughly content with this transition in life, and I can see in the next generation the second leg of the fulfillment of all that God has promised. Seeing the next generation rise up and run with greater agility is truly exciting.

Unfortunately, many leaders wait until they are on their deathbed before they pass the baton. They say, “Here my son, the responsibility is now yours. I am going to be with the Lord now.”

To this the young leader might reply, “But father, I don’t know how to do this, you never taught me. You did it all, and people will never trust anyone like they trusted you, the patriarch. Will you have email in heaven, a cell phone?”

The deathbed is not the place to pass the baton. We need to surrender it in our hearts from the moment it is put in our hand. The very nature of the baton is that it is not a scepter, and it must be passed. The race is simply too long and too important for us to run it ourselves.

So when do we start raising up the next generation to take the baton? From the moment we meet them. Do we end up sitting on the sidelines? No! We are to get as many people into the race in as many nations as possible until we see God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Good runners become good running coaches, and good running coaches never really stop running.

Babe Ruth and Basic Fishing Tips, Part 1

I was sitting with a friend a few years ago watching the American baseball playoffs as the Boston Red Sox were trying to break the “curse” that had haunted them since they had sold their good luck charm, the Babe. (Not the talking pig but the famous baseball player, Babe Ruth). During a commercial we grabbed some more pizza, and the conversation turned to the art of coaching.

My friend related to me that many star athletes eventually tried their hand at coaching or even training. The problem often occurred that the natural talent or ability that many possessed was non-transferable. These were great athletes, but they could not train average athletes to be like themselves. It often reverted to, “can’t you see it?” or “jump like him!”

It turned out that average players who had to learn their ability from scratch made the best trainers because they knew what it was like not to know how to do it, and they could explain how they learned how to do it.

This conversation took me back to some leadership training meetings that I attended a few years ago, and on this particular day the subject was “evangelism”, a task where I am not very confident and often fumble the ball. The first speaker was a Babe Ruth kind-of guy who told many testimonies of his spiritual home-runs. I was amazed, inspired and … discouraged. “This guy is awesome, but I could never be like him.”

The next speaker was not an evangelist, but he told many stories about ordinary people like myself who were trained to reach those around them. They were equipped by ordinary teachers to learn to share their faith in ordinary ways in ordinary places. He even exclaimed that he was not very good at it himself, but had even produced some success. Actually, this was an understatement. It was the success of those whom he had trained which caught my eye.

In my heart and mind the lights suddenly went on. This was transferable, and anyone no matter their ability or handicap could do it. In fact, I might even be able to do it. An itch – if I may call I that – began that day, an itch that would not be satisfied until I landed in Manila, Philippines. To be continued…