I loved the retreat and the slant that Mike Slaughter gave to us about the Renegade Gospel, in the midst of the Dare to Dream thesis. My mind is bombarded by little light shows of epiphanies that I will use throughout the season of Lent. Some of those gems included:

1. Don't let your size define you. It's not about the number of butts in the pew... it's about the quality, not the quantity, of members. Mike went on to share that when he started, his numbers actually went down in his first few years to about half of what he started with. There is something to be said for longevity in our parishes so that we can build trust.

2. I also liked Mike’s definition of BHAD's—Big Hairy Audacious Deals for GOD. Each of us needs to find the gift God blessed each of us with. We need to set that gift free by doing ministry. Yes, for some, God says full-time ministry is where you need to use those.  But not everyone has the same gift. It is ok to be a scientist, a public relations person, a teacher, an executive or whatever.  Still, there is a "burning bush" inside each of us, something that when we do it, it is like second nature, because it comes so easily for us.  If it is unleashed, look out, because you can not out-give, out-think, or out-grace God. When we're “in our zone” it just happens. When your people catch the burning bush for themselves, it's palpable. We all have a burning bush, or a God-given gift, to serve humanity.

3. We often try to limit God and when we do that we fail in the mission we are called to be a part of. Mike’s church even has a recovery program group with only Muslim men in it.  Some would say that is not Christ-centered, but Jesus was forever reaching beyond the borders of the status quo. We try to tell people what God wants, but when we do that we limit God's natural order of things. I liked the fact that we can't pigeonhole what God intends for us, our ministry, or our lives. Christianity is a way (maybe I'm reading more into it than he said), but it may not be the only way and we have to be OK with that. To do God's will, and not ours, is a fair request.

4. Churches need to be about their neighborhood; churches need to minister within a 7-block radius to be relevant in their communities. Think about it. Are there needs in that radius that your churches are ignoring – or afraid to reach into the needs of others.

The  conclusion I walked away with was, “Find your burning bush and act on it... dare to dream and don't give up on your dreams."

-Rev. Rick Pittenger

To learn more about Dare to Dream join the Dakotas Conference 2017 Lenten study.