I am coming closer and closer to the next breakthrough in my life process. It's so slow in coming, and it comes in spurts, but I do believe it's coming.

I sat in a meeting of church leadership the other day, and found myself disagreeing with almost everything that everyone was saying - probably even what I was saying. There were a number of topics and directions, but I began to see something more clearly than I had in the past - it's not that I am the enlightened one and "they" all need my superior perspectives, or that I'm all wrong and their ways are better. We are simply in different places, and more than likely, we are holding one another back.

All of the things that God has been showing me in the past couple of years are exciting and life changing to me, but they represent something new (at least for the people around here). And just as Jesus said, sewing a new patch of cloth onto an old one will not repair the old one - it'll just cause a worse tear (Matthew 9:16). The troubles our church is facing will not likely be resolved by my "new cloth". I will make things worse by talking too much - sharing too many "new" ideas. Likewise, my new cloth will not be useful unless I apply it to a new use.

My biggest issue at this point is timing. I am needed now for support and strength and stability. I want desperately to help in a way that is truly helpful. Knowing when to move beyond this phase of help and support is tricky business. I need wisdom and understanding. I guess that's why God has led Michelle and I to spend time in the book of Proverbs lately.