Remember the old saw, “Aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time!” It occurs to me, more often than not, it isn’t the failure to aim that ruins a life, it is the failure to aim at the right thing. Failure in life results from investing too much time and energy aiming at the wrong target.
As I get ready to teach “Developing the Focused Life,” an online course to a new class of seminarians, I am reminded how easy it is to focus on things that make us feel significant or things we suppose others find admirable. To that I say, “Uncle!” Yes, too much time has been spent down that “rabbit hole.”
One of the young men being mentored for ministry at Cross Life Church spoke two Sundays ago, and hammered away at one simple idea. Our greatest need is to see Jesus as He is revealed in Holy Scripture. It is in seeing Him, that we become like Him, and the more we are like Him, the more others see Him in us. The goal isn’t ministry. The goal isn’t even my personal holiness. The goal is that others might see Jesus in us as He is and without distortion. Maybe that is why Paul’s words are so dear to me:
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV
I wonder, are we aiming aright? Are we seeing Jesus? Is Jesus being seen in us?
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hiddenarrows
Ed presently serves as the Lead Pastor of Leesburg Alliance Church, Leesburg, FL. He has had over 30 years of ministry experience, sixteen of them at Greenwoods Community Church in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. More recently he has fulfilled transitional interim assignments for the Alliance Southeast of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Englewood and Spring Hill, Florida. In addition, Ed has had nearly 13 years of experience in the field of geriatric healthcare.
His wife, Lynn, is a true partner in ministry, having served Greenwoods Community Church as its Children's Ministry Coordinator for over ten years. She is a decorator, colorist, instructor in furniture painting, and an artist in her own right. For over 20 years she had her own business, Whimsical Brushes, teaching and traveling throughout the Northeast.
Ed’s passion and heartfelt prayer remains for genuine revival and awakening in our nation. One of the keys to past workings of God especially in New England has been related to pastors mentoring pastors. God has given Ed a burden to be a mentor pastor, developing leaders for the church in the 21st Century. One way in which he is fulfilling that calling is through Rockbridge Seminary, where he serves as an adjunct professor of Spiritual Formation.
Ed has earned degrees from Cairn University (B.S. 1971), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M. 1979), and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (D.Min. 2007). He has published several articles on the Spiritual Heritage of Litchfield County, Connecticut, and led several tours of sites associated with the Village Revivals that spawned the Second Great Awakening in New England. In his spare time, you are likely to find Ed at the piano or pecking out a blog on his blog page https://hiddenarrows.blog
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Hidden Arrows 
A challenging question Dr. E. I know that my aim is often way off target. I liken it to my need for eyeglasses: without them I am not able to even make out the large E at the top of the eye chart. With them on, my vision becomes 20/20. This analogy describes my walk with Christ as well. When I am making the attempt to be in constant contact with Him, the way seems clear, for He is faithful to always be at my side. When I go off without seeking Him first, it’s like walking without my glasses on!
Blessings,
Chuck
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