In January 2009 each one of us in my Corpath Group started working and praying through our five year plans. I started the process of drawing a picture of where I would be five years down the road in each area of my life - vocationally, as a father/son/husband, steward and disciple of Jesus Christ. The 2014 picture that emerged for me vocationally was that I would be involved:
- With CBMC/Corpath in a volunteer capacity,
- In an influential role with Christian business leaders striving to run “Kingdom Companies”, and
- In a “convergence vocation” where all the different vocations over my career would align.
This past summer I shared this picture with CBMC President Paul Richardson and we came to the conclusion that I needed to keep my shoulder to the work until God made it clear that I was to do otherwise. At the October Annual General Meeting and Board meetings I was truly excited about the changes on the horizon for the organization and its potential to grow and fulfill its role in God’s plans for Canada. Afterward, however, I found it very difficult to translate that passion and excitement for the future into working to make it happen.
One of my three closest mentors/coaches/friends suggested it might be appropriate to seek out someone who is gifted in hearing from the Lord and praying over situations and people. I was very cautious and frankly was not that comfortable with taking this step initially, but after a few weeks I asked him how to proceed. We found someone who was gifted in this area from another city and who did not know me, and made an appointment in November.
Two things happened before I met with him: 1) I came to a greater understanding of how apprehensive the Kings of old were when the prophets came “ a calling” with a word from the Lord, and 2) One of my mentors tracked me down, saying he needed to talk with me before I headed out of town. I really did not want to meet with him on that Friday afternoon, but he insisted. Looking back at that conversation, I see that God used him to link together a number of things on both a personal and heart level, as well as on a vocational level, providing clarity that a change was imminent – not years down the road.
When I met the next week with this pastor from a conservative church I found out the day before I called to make the appointment with him a close friend of his suggested that he should meet a man named David Abday! For the first half hour the two of us talked about John 17 and passages in Ephesians about God’s desire for unity in the church to be like the unity in the Trinity. Then for the next few minutes he prayed over me. He described that I was coming to a junction where the road to the right was dark and was a place where I decided not to go. Straight ahead was broad road with a lot of travel, responsibility and scope; however, he did not see me going straight but rather proceeding on the road to the left. He described this left road as an eddy or a cul de sac which was a place of “being” and “provision”. Also he related this left road to the Biblical story of Elijah, where over three and a half years of drought Elijah was fed meat and bread by ravens twice a day by the brook at Cherith. The story of God's provision for Elijah then moved to the widow and her son at Zarephath, where their oil and flour did not run out (I Kings 17) until the drought in Israel ended.
Over the next hour and a half he wanted to hear from me what I had been learning from the Bible, what my wife Caroline had been saying and what my mentors had been saying. When I shared some of these specifics, including the conversation from the previous Friday afternoon and what Caroline and others had been saying, there was a very strong affirmation that I was released from my position. Over the next three days I touched base with those close to me about this decision before being reminded by Caroline and another colleague who was prompted to encourage me “not to listen to too many voices, but to concentrate on His at this time.” Over the next 10 days three verses emerged for me:
- Zephaniah 3:17 “He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
- Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
- 1 Peter 1:13 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
On December 1, 2009 I flew out to see Paul Richardson to discuss plans for my resignation from the role of National Corpath Director effective March 1, 2010 and plans for my redeployment as a volunteer.
I believe the next period of time will be an exciting adventure for me, my family and the organization – a time of “being” and “provision”. I am thankful for the many people God has used and will use to accomplish his purposes in my life and the lives of business people across Canada. The adventure continues!
