Bumblebees Cannot Fly . . . Don't You Know
Someone said that, according to the laws of aerodynamics, bumblebees cannot fly. But bumblebees, not knowing the laws of aerodynamics, go ahead and fly anyway.
Bumblebees go ahead and fly anyway. Real followers of Christ go ahead and follow Him despite all of their obvious impediments and natural inclinations to wallow in the dirt.
I really like that bumblebee quote, and read it aloud early on day two of last weekend’s leader retreat at City Centre Baptist Church in Mississauga, Ontario. I didn’t use it right from the get-go on Friday night, but waited until Saturday morning. We spent Friday evening looking at the awesome responsibility of rightly leading the Lord’s church. After letting the weight of it sink in overnight, I kicked off Saturday morning by answering the obvious question: Who is adequate for these things?
The fatso bumblebee with its tiny wings is completely wrong for flying. And, just to look at us, we are completely inadequate to shepherd the Lord’s church. But we go ahead and do it anyway. And, in the process, we try to get others in the church to lose the bumblebee excuses for failing to fly.
The retreat theme: Devotion, Motivation, Urgency . . . all with the Lord and all for the Lord. We wanted to get a grip on the leader’s requirement to love Christ in a deeper way, leading to greater motivation to work for Him, compelling the leader to serve Him with intense urgency.
Friday's focus:
- What’s my job? Ambassador for Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.
- Who is adequate for these things? The Holy Spirit, who makes me adequate. 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 and 2 Corinthians 3:2-6.
- How do I live so the Holy Spirit works through me? Be with Jesus. Acts 4:13.
Saturday's work:
- Passion, Vision, Mission;
- Jesus’ Vision for the Church;
- The Worker’s Toolbox;
- In the Slough of Despond, a.k.a. Sanballat, Demas, and Alexander the Coppersmith.
The weekend was exhausting and exhilarating. It was a blessing to be with others who don't just want to do more for Jesus, but first want to be more for Jesus so they can truly do more for Him. Check out some retreat photos here.
