What Is the Next Move?



As the screen shot above reveals, I was idly playing solitaire and it dawned on me that in life and in ministry each move dictates options for future moves. This is true in chess, checkers, baseball, football, or any other human endeavor including ministry.

In the game above there are multiple choices for the next move. Do you move the ten of hearts to the jack? The four of hearts to the five? The seven of hearts to the eight? As is clear, there are many options. Some options cut off the possibility of a future move. Others open multiple options. Hidden from our sight are the cards which are face down. Those cards are very much like the unknown responses or reactions of others involved in the congregation.

One of the things I discovered, in other games, is staring at the screen often blinds us to moves which are right there. Looking away and coming back to the screen suddenly the move is clearly there. “Why didn’t I see that before?”

As I reflect upon ministry, there are many times when the present move sets up a whole series of subsequent moves. Many times the moves may be made without thought or regard for what would be opened or closed as a result of that move. In retrospect, I wish I had taken just a bit more time to consider how the present move would dictate the next move or bring an end to the “game.”

I cannot help but ask, “How would my ministry be different if I would have taken the time to consider what the consequences a potential move might influence possible future moves?