why we stay

Morden sunrise

There is a restless wind this morning.  

My bike brought me home through the river valley after a wonderful morning visit, with light scents of wild roses now dominating the earlier spring's lilac and wolf willow. 

 I love this river valley ... this ever changing path of water that etches its trail on the land.  The river is high these days, attempting to assist the land up-stream to drain away the crippling excess.  

Our land runneth over.  

Water and wind re-arranging our carefully tended worlds.  

MB Mission has developed an inspiring video series entitled “This is why we go.”  I have watched the videos with gratitude, as they show such an interesting perspective of the life one of our students have lived during her internship.

The words "This is why we go” which scroll across the screen have bounced around in my mind, and then transposed to the thought ... “This is why we stay”.  Why are we called to this place called Bethany College, a cluster of buildings and a campus in the town of Hepburn, close to the growing city of Saskatoon, close to the northern communities and reserves which are shaping many conversations in our province, close to the river valley?  With a degree of separation, we have a chance to create a community, to invest in a community of faith that is focused on learning, on living out our faith.

Nurturing disciples, and training leaders to serve is our mission at Bethany College.  For many of us – for me, this is a mission that I would be pursuing even if Bethany was not my primary vocation.  I love the opportunity to launch believers into the direction and settings that we see God calling them.  When I worked at West Portal as a children’s minister, I loved finding that volunteer for children’s ministry, and putting them into their sweet spot where they would come to me months later to tell me about conversations they had with their Grade 5 boys, and watch them leading a group of young men towards Christ.  It was a privilege to train them as they served, giving them tools to do their work better.

At Bethany, we study, and live, and serve so that we will better understand and live out the purpose for which our God has shaped us.  We invite people to be still for a time; to study, to consider, to learn and grow, to prepare mind, heart and skills for serving Christ. 

We nourish and train, challenge and walk beside, and then – always – we launch.  

Ours is not a landing place for a long time.    

Why do I stay?  Because I believe that the world we live in needs disciples of Jesus Christ who love him wholeheartedly, who seek him, who obey him and live for him in all of the wonderful variety of vocations available – pastoring, teaching, global mission, local service, artists, builders, managers and entrepreneurs.  We need people who understand the scriptures and our times, and walk unafraid into these days because of the God they serve.  This is why I stay.  

We have just learned that Bethany will be able to open our doors for the fall, though with a significantly altered team configuration.  

We anticipate what God will do in all of our lives - whether we stay, or whether we go.  We grieve the losses, and pray that God would guide and direct us forward.  So many things are being re-arranged, re-configured.  

Praying for wisdom, grace and courage; and a strong, growing sense that He is faithful.