Yesterday we wrote about exercising faith in a big God. Again, it’s not the size of our faith, it’s the size of our God, and…we must take action. Here’s another metaphor, this one from my very creative friend Bill Mowry, author of Ways of the Alongsider. He, like me, is a fan of Star Trek, especially The Next Generation version with Captain Picard. Bill writes:

The captain’s voice-over opening to each show makes me sit up straight in my recliner (my command chair!).

Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, its five-year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before!

What a clear and simple mission statement. You can’t miss the purpose of this crew of intrepid explorers. Their assignment was straightforward— explore strange new worlds and find new life. The Captain of our Starship is also calling us to a clear mission — one that is bold and full of new life. – Bill Mowry (His whole blog is worth the read.)

It’s a great mission! “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4.19) or “Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28.19) Why aren’t more of us involved? Bill suggests several reasons including this one:

I don’t have the training or the skills.

Bill says with all the tools out there this isn’t a good reason. I agree, and I’ll have more to say about that tomorrow.

In the meantime, there’s adventure waiting for us!

And the angel of the LORD appeared to [Gideon] and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” …And the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” (Judges 6.12, 14, ESV)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1.8, ESV)