Who, What, Why questions that John the Baptist dealt with as we are introduced to him in the early chapters of the book of John (John 1:22-25).   Who the question of identity, what, the question of purpose and self-knowing leading to why as John did his thing; actually it is when we are introduced to the Baptist term.  Why are you doing what your doing?  These questions somewhere are constantly being asked of us, probing, enquiring, they will also building and establishing you and I as we seek to answer them, as we seek to formulate the who, what and why.

I would be as bold as to say the ‘why’ will give you the ‘what’ of your life, without the why you will not get on an be or do anything, the why gives you reason.   Therefor what’s you why?

We are told through the scripture that in the mouth of two or three establishment happens, therefore a witness of two or three is necessary to be sure footed before making any move.    I hope we realise we can be a first responder, moving out quickly into adventure yet it is necessary we make sure that every effort requires establishment.

We come across people looking for the ‘new thing’ or ‘next thing’ and we have not learned that life’s advances are only advances as it moves in to new ways yet linked to the past and to present testimonies. This is at the foundation of the saying, you cannot have a future without a history, I would add a celebrated past gives and creates a celebrated future.     To many run from the past trying to cut it off and kill it to get their into a tomorrow and future, closing down their lives, sometimes due to pain and events I fully understand we all have them.   A living painful past will only reproduce a painful future.

To celebrate tomorrow discover the celebration of yesterday.     A good friend, Johnny Kinch quotes “the way you leave a room will be the way you entre into the next”, so true.   Carrying the story of past hurt will not allow you get a future celebrated but will recreate, find the silver lining of yesterday, the powerful joy of yesterday in the middle of the rubble.

Establishment comes through testimony.

Why, what, who are the three witnesses that the witness of the coming Christ was enquired of, regarding his identity, self and purpose, what are the three things of life that established John as the fore runner.  Why am I here, what am I fully pursuing and involved with and who am I, what is my function to be?

Where to from here, well what about you and I, are we established?    There are times when I want to rush out the door and change the world, along with that there are times I must admit I want to put up the shutters, not speak to any one and enjoy me and Jesus, my what a collision inside my thinking from time to time when this happens.

For a number of years Sandra and I poured ourselves out in service of a group of men and women stepping into spaces that needed some one to fill.     For years as an administrator I found enjoyment in listening and taking an idea that ministries of Covenant Ministries International dreamt up, ideas that were God idea shaping, re-dreaming, putting form, drawing up plans, adding content and making things happen and work.     We were men and women bringing the future into today.

Today we are men and women moving, pressing forward in a onward movement bringing the future to bear on today while in continuity of the past.

Any one who fights, denies, dismiss or ignores the past will not gain the future.   Any one who finds the hurt of yesterdays disappointments too strong will be overwhelmed and not enjoy the future.

Sandra will say ‘I don’t regret anything we have done, seen or been’, if you have regret you will find that you will defend or revolt against the past, seeing it as a list of injuries mainly with an ’O yes there were some good things’.      A transformation of the inner mind is required in order that the past is to be a part of establishing a testimony and build towards the future.   Extending ourselves in reaching toward the goal of Christ filling all.

This year I have been living by the gospel for 30 years and a Christ follower for over four decades during that time I have seen movements come and go (that’s a whole other article, what I have seen, what I see happening right now in advance in the movements of the last 40/50 years).    In recent days seeing movements drift from their apostolic prophetic moorings to becoming wonderful gatherings.   Managed churches, more about being big, which is not at all wrong, increase is a part of the Kingdom, but often more about being big that being incarnation, being cool rather than being Christ.   Some great moves of God have become denominations, primarily now focused on defending their past rather than using their past to be a future prophetic voice and manifestation, Manifestation of the image and likeness of God in our world in every way.

Grounding so to speak the Kingdom of God.

The past empowers us and the future asks of us to live every day with vulnerability, uncertainty, and unchartered ways, living in adventure, exhilarated with the journey.  It is forever challenging, and in the challenge we will find a little confusion which comes form the instability of living by faith a faith that has opened up a seeing, seeing a city (the ecclesia, the body of Christ) and moving towards the fulfillment of promise.     You and I are the fulfillment of the promise of God to creation.

It is ‘I don’t know where I am going but I ain’t lost’ life style as I have often said.   We are to be a Spirit led people not a business idea or managed people, “each day asking which way”

When I consider where we have all walked, what we have all done it was always the road less travelled at the time.

Am I, do you still travel this roadway.

I love the picture of the two traveling on the Damascus road as Christ came to join their journey a road they walked and a testimony established as three people in the conversation happened.  This encounter on a road travelled regularly by many in their day away form their past to be return to a road less travelled, being thrust back into their immediate past to connect in order to bring a future about in an upper room, the coming of the new age with the Holy Spirit.     Back there is your Upper Room?

The road is not to be the normal, predictable, repetitive or routine, simply seeking to do the old better.   It is looking to be the future braking in the shape of the Christ.

This is a journey for everyone, do you get that, I fully respect that our calling or personality has an affect on how we greet or respond to this journey.      This is why I encourage you to see the wealth of the past, living in it while unfolding the future that will not adjust what happens but will adjust the reason and its understanding as we encounter more of Christ.

I am so grateful for my God directed, my God prepared, my God authored therefore empowering journey, being thankful that I have been bought to participate IN God, which means God is using my journey.   Along the way I made great gains, made far to many mistakes but I am still on the journey, more than that I am invigorated by the ride, I love the rollercoaster adventure.   There are so many seats available around me, come join the journey.