A Change of Plan

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry," as the saying goes. I'm not sure if my blogging schedule is a "best laid plan," and I doubt mice had anything to do with it regardless, but it has nevertheless gone awry. Beginning next week, to better accommodate my schedule, I will switch to writing on Tuesdays and Thursdays instead of the current M-W-F schedule. I think that will work out better for everyone.

We often make mistakes with our plans, but I feel like we typically err in one of two ways in the church: we either plan too much or not at all. A friend recently interviewed for a new position, and part of the process involved planning a worship service -- right down to the second. No joke. Each song, prayer, etc. had to have a time stamp: 3:02 for this song, pray 35 seconds, preach 17 minutes . . . How God is expected to move in such a service, I don't know. Too much planning. On the flip side, some churches go years without planning anything. There's no goal, no desire, just aimless drifting. Proverbs 29:18 is clear: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Churches must have a vision for the future and work toward fulfilling it.

Of course plans change. They have to be flexible. They have to be able to adapt to new developments. And they should always be made in consultation with God. A plan made without the Holy Spirit is designed to fail. A plan without room for God to work is a door slammed in the face of the Almighty. To be sure, there is a balance to be struck, and it can be infuriating trying to find that balance; we all know God rarely gives us all the information we want in advance!

Nevertheless, we need a vision. We need a plan. And most of all, we need to plan to follow God.

I'll see you again on Tuesday!