Bulletin Number 169 ( 22nd Jul 2009 )
Reinvent Yourself

For many years I have enjoyed playing squash, although I have to admit, I have not reached a particularly high standard. This is in spite of the fact that a few years ago I had a series of lessons which only allowed me to raise my game marginally, often slipping back into my old habits instead of retaining the new skills I had been taught. Recently I have migrated towards tennis and have just started to take lessons. The difference between the two games couldn’t be greater. The way you hold the racquet, the way you strike the ball, the way you position your body and so many more aspects are totally different. I have finally understood the truth in the old cliché ‘it’s a whole new ball game’.

As a number of church ministers move on to new circuits or parishes, they too are faced with ‘a whole new ball game’. No two churches are the same. The people are different, the localities have different histories, the climate may be different and certainly the mission opportunities will be different. When moving from squash to tennis, there is a whole lot of ‘unlearning’ to be done before the new game can be mastered.

To the uninitiated, squash and tennis are the same – it’s about hitting a ball with a racquet. Indeed, some skills are the same – hand-eye coordination, anticipation and positioning on the court are common skills. There are also some common aspects of ministry in all situations – careful management of time, focus upon the essentials, compassion for all people and closeness to God are essential skills wherever we are.

But whenever we move on to a new stage in our life, whether it be a child moving to a new school or university or a family moving to a new part of the country, they need to reinvent themselves. They become new people because of the new environment in which they find themselves. It’s a learning process which does not replace all previous knowledge, but builds upon it, adding new skills and experiences to those already acquired. This process can be so valuable because we learn new things about ourselves. We rise to challenges we never faced before and find, in ourselves, resources we never realised we had. We also become far more adaptable and able to cope with change more readily.

I still play squash as well as tennis but have learnt to switch modes when on court. I now know that to strike a tennis ball in the way I strike a squash ball would send it into orbit. Top-spin is a vital ingredient in tennis but unheard of in squash but this is what makes the difference.

I guess this is something of what Paul meant when he said ‘I have become all things to all people’ (1 Corinthians 9:22). He was a man who constantly met with new situations and had to learn the art of adapting to each. On the Damascus Road he was confronted with a truth about Jesus which he had tried to stamp out. Here he adapted to a new life founded on God’s grace rather than God’s law. On his first missionary journey he reinvented himself by changing his name from Saul to Paul, no doubt recognising his role was now to evangelise the non-Jewish world.

I’ll never be a threat to Federer but it is good to be able to enjoy the delights of both racquet sports and to appreciate the different skills involved in them. Likewise, moving to new situations broadens our horizons and makes us more rounded people, appreciating the rich diversity of people and places.

For more information on these bulletins and other matters relating to evangelism in the Nottingham and Derby District, contact Roger Johnson on 0115 923 5221 / 07913 252541 or email dee@ionian.co.uk