Defining your passion

Since Pete‘s message on Sunday I’ve been really giving some thought to more clearly defining what is my driving God-given passion.  There have definitely been seasons in my life where I have been more in tune with this than others and it seems that the timing of this reminder was important for me.  I’m an “achiever” by nature (see Marcus Buckingham’s Now, Discover Your Strengths) – I do, then I do more, and still more.  (Ask my husband, it drives him crazy!)  The problem is that I commit to too much and every once and awhile I have to circle back and focus.  So I’ve been spending this week trying to focus/to define my passion.  Here’s my working list:

• leadership
• church leadership
• women in leadership
• women in church leadership
• church leaders influencing the community and culture 

I also found this quote among old journal notes that is fitting for the subject:

“If you are consumed with the tension between what is and what could be, if you find yourself emotionally involved… frustrated… brokenhearted… maybe even angry… about the way things are, and if you believe God is behind your anguish, then chances are you are on the brink of something divine.  Something too important to walk away from.”  From Visioneering by Andy Stanley.  (By the way, this book was based off of the story of Nehemiah, so if you want to do some additional reading on your own in response to Pete’s messages, this is a great one.)