They went out and saw a beautiful and bountiful land ...the land was producing amazing crops and then they saw the Anakim...giant like people and descendants of Anak the giant. They felt tiny and powerless to defeat such an imposing people...their Fear prevented them from stepping forward and believing this to be their moment of destiny...and trusting in the good things God was promising to them.
Only two of the twelve spies returned a good report--Joshua and Caleb.
When the people as a whole decide to heed the majority's report--they decide to not proceed and they are sentenced to wander in the desert and wilderness until that whole generation dies. Interesting that the only two that don't die are Joshua and Caleb.
Not much else is known about Caleb except that once Israel captures Jericho and begins to occupy the land---Caleb is remembered--and he is asked what part of the land he wants. Remember, Caleb is an 85 year old man at this point. Still, he had unfinished business with the Anakim. He requested that his inheritance be the rugged and mountainous region near Hebron--and the stronghold of the Anakim. Caleb said "give me this mountain...it may be that the Lord shall be with me, and I will be able to drive them out" Joshua 14:12. What Israel failed to embrace forty years earlier--Caleb was anxious to embrace as an old man.
Unfinished business....it can bring insurmountable fear or it can become the mission of stepping out despite our fear.
I'm not 85 yet and I'm not going to compare myself to one of the spies that left a good report...(in fact those who know me well--know that I probably would have given the fearful bad report--yet God still goes before me to bless and give me another opportunity to set things right) but I do compare the fact (and I see it in many other men my age) there are some missions that I haven't fully stepped into despite the opportunities...and I call it unfinished business.
I've been just talking out loud with God this week and he kept bringing this story of Caleb to me and this 85 year old man leading a charge saying "take the land.!" I keep mulling over what it means but there can be no misinterpretation of his words for me this year...
The table is set and I've spied it out...
Abba's Way is a mission that provides the setting to connect Dads with their sons and daughters in events like "The Father's Heart" and the Father's Delight." What are these events about you ask?
Join us for the Father’s Heart Weekend and make a memory with your son that will last a lifetime. This weekend will provide everything you need to bless, affirm, and provide a rite of passage for your son. Just show up, and we’ll do the rest.
The Father’s Heart Weekend is a life-changing experience for fathers and their sons. Celebrate the boy and call out the man in your son this year!
This is a no technology bonding weekend that your son will never forget. When we give of ourselves as Fathers--our time, our words, our actions and our attention...the results are there as much for us as for our children.
Join us for Father’s Delight! A day of Adventure, Ceremony, and Celebration that offers so much more than a father/daughter dance. This event is for girls age 6-12 and their father.
“Once upon a time” are among the most enchanting words a young girl hears. She grows up seeing herself as a princess and imagining one adventure after another. She lives in the land of make believe daily, so, what better way to connect with your daughter than to step inside the fairy tale with her for a day.
Father’s Delight is a magical day you and your daughter will never forget that includes: all kinds of activities, low ropes course events, and a dinner & dance that will rival any castle balls dreamed of in her fairy tales. It will give her kindness and love as you share your time and your heart for her.
Mission 1:
I've volunteered many times at their events but now I am looking to be a leader and that's much different...It's scary to know I can't just blend in...or simply show up to assist. So much time and planning behind the scenes must occur...and finding the voice at the right moments to not interfere but to inspire and augment the events. Finding the voice and remaining authentic is a daunting task for an introvert. It has to be that the beautiful and good outcomes must overcome the fear in getting there. It also requires God to show up in places for me to set the table so I can step in just as he panned.
Mission 2:
I have 77 staff on my team at work now...we have made incredible strides in this department and setting that has never been accomplished before...every measurable statistic has improved greatly..and yet...in my heart there is another level to this that I need to communicate the vision I can see and lead in laying out the steps to go from really really good--to GREAT. Some things can't be measured in a statistic--but felt by the internal and external customers daily. I don't want to lose all of the good things we have...and it could all crash and burn so easily...yet in my gut I know I'm called to lead us to the great this year. Everyone looks around and can see the really really good and feels good about it--so why embark on a further mission and risk losing the current created culture? When I invite others to look at the mission and invite them to help me develop it all--I see blank stares and realize very few can see the picture I'm painting...Now I need to paint it but describe the strokes--the vision slower and develop it in their heads and hearts before moving forward. Again--the table is set--and we need to embark on this mission...The mission is some unfinished business for me personally.
Now that I've penned it to paper...it's truly out there for all to see and know if I've followed through in 2018.
Mission 3:
There is one more bit of unfinished business and this one will remain unspoken on this blog. Although I am keeping it anonymous it is the third piece of this trilogy that is truly unfinished business. Suffice it to say that it will require a miracle and it's not all up to me to orchestrate the pieces and parts into place but again will require courage and set aside fear. No matter how it fully plays out--it will be a chapter of redemption--and any time that is our goal -- it aligns with God's heart and the larger story that plays out every day.
The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time
Mark Twain
I am looking forward to "fully living" more in 2018...
To quote Caleb -it's time to "Take the Land!!!"
