Prefatory note: I started this post way back in September and it unfortunately slipped through the cracks. However, the thoughts that I initially wanted to share have continues to develop over the past month and I still feel that they are worth sharing. Being that I began it over a month ago, some of the information may not be as current. Oh well.

Last month the Leadership Network and Catalyst presented an online conference entitled The Nines which featured 70 speakers from all over the country sharing nine minute segments. Although I wasn’t able to watch as much as I would have liked, I do appreciate both Leadership Network and Catalyst for making this great event available at no charge. One of the speakers I was looking forward to but was unable to see was Ed Stetzer. Thankfully, he has posted his nine minute presentation for those of us who missed it. I have already posted the video once but I will share it again for sake of ease.

Ed Stetzer – The 9s from LifeWay on Vimeo.

As I began to meditate on Stetzer’s simple phrase, “mission is the opposite of self”, I began an exercise of self examination in this area. In doing so, one of the things that I noticed is how preoccupied I am with myself.

I know that sounds awfully vain of me to say but what I had to come to terms with was that, although I could justify all of my activities as good and worth while, the fact was that I was so busy doing what I wanted to do, I left little time for anything or anyone else for that matter.

What became clear to me was that in order to be missional, we must first be intentional. Meaning that, if we are not careful and strategic about the use of our time, we can easily become so preoccupied with our own ambitions that we no longer have room for mission.

This became painfully clear when later on that weekend my wife and I received a call from a family member we have been praying for. They wanted to schedule some time together that day for lunch. Unfortunately, we already had prior engagements and had to decline. In doing so it dawned on me that although we have been praying for this individual for many years, we made no room to share our lives with them.

Now it should be said that our schedule was filled with things that were good in themselves, but the fact that they left no room for anyone outside of ourselves left me to wonder about their true value. Especially measured in light of eternity. Simply said, we were occupied with ourselves.

This is why intentional mission is so important. Why were we passively sitting back and waiting for those opportunities to arise instead of actively trying to engage our family members and sharing our lives with those we love and pray for?

It became all too apparent to me that day that we are so easily preoccupied with self. Mission is the opposite of self and if we are to live on mission we must be both intentional and strategic about how are lives are prioritized, structured, ordered.