I’ve been saying it since about 2018: opportunism attracts opportunists. Opportunists attract other opportunists. “Birds of a feather flock together.” They all cozy up in the same groups, the same events, the same churches - you’ll find them together. For now.

For now, and for as long as each one serves some hidden agenda of the other.

I’ve heard a lot of talk lately about the “real Jesus”. Let’s talk about “real church”.

Real Church is about the presence of a perfect God, invading our flawed community. Real church feels more like real life - but with the manifest anointing of the Spirit. Real church feels like real work sometimes (as all “family gatherings” are). Sometimes the people do not meet my needs, but the precious Holy Ghost, and Jesus in the midst of the gathering, always does meet my need. And sometimes my biggest need is to stop thinking about my biggest need.

Church isn’t meant to be treated as the screen upon which I get to project my gift. My gift was given to me to benefit the church.

“So with yourselves, since you are eager for spiritual gifts, strive to excel in building up the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:12

{…hat tip to proper hermeneutics: I realize this is talking about the supernatural “gifts of the Spirit” spiritual gifts. But I want to pose that it can apply to many other kinds of gifts as well.}

Your gifts - in one way or another - are meant to be given. But often, that looks like something we haven’t even thought about. The impact is found in the nuance. You do the most good when the good that you do is almost unconscious. For example: my gift of making art…sure, I have blessed my people with my art. I have sold a piece or five and given the profit away.

I do not hold weekly art classes - but I could theoretically. I could do private instruction (I have been asked so…many…times…) I could teach regular “art classes” to women in my church, thinking that since I am an artist, that must be the best way I could serve my church. But if I did that, I would be doing it at the expense of growing in, and actually practicing, my art.

Here is where the nuance is powerful. I pray this sets a lot of women free.

(..this is one way I serve my church….but it by far is not the most effective way I serve my church…)

The most effective and biggest way my art serves my church, is when other women see me simply being a card carrying creative. They see me living as a whole woman, not needing to teach a class. They see me sporting a sparkle, and cultivating a well soul, despite present crushing trials…

…and instead of requiring attention for the sake of attention, in order to “feel better”.

The deepest service one woman can give another woman is to show her what is possible - to let the grace of God manifest in your well soul to the point that you overflow in secret.

We aren’t here to entertain each other or even affirm each other.

Church! We are on planet earth to show to principalities and powers how we get to BOLDLY be the very sons and daughters of God.

These words won’t sit right with everyone. That’s okay. I will just ask those who chafe at them, to consider the recent wave of pastors and their spouses who are stepping down from leadership, because of moral failure. There’s moral failure because they don’t have a well soul.

That is adversely impacting thousands of hearts.

So. You get to hold to your opinion of what “serving you” should look like. I get to stay busy actually serving you - by modeling what the Gospel in ordinary life looks like. I get to show what healthy boundaries, living a quiet life and working with my hands, and cultivating my well soul “in the middle” looks like for me.

(sometimes, this is what serving my church looks like…)

I could gather a small audience and feel more important, by setting up tables in the fellowship room of my church every week, teaching free art classes. I could do that any time. There’s nothing stopping me. And that would be lovely. (And maybe someday the Lord will release me to do just that…).

But I don’t have to.

If I did that, I would for sure have more people who like me, and talk about how nice I am.

But church life is not about me being nice, and having an outlet for my gift. Church life is about serving others in whatever way that helps them experience the presence of God in their everyday.

It is not the church’s job to “create outlets” for anyone’s gift. It is my responsibility to practice my gift in my everyday, ordinary life, until there is overflow in it. It is not the church’s job to “create-a-churchy-event-so-I-can-do-my-gift”!

I ask you to consider 1 Thessalonians 4: 12

It is my job to work with my hands and to live my life in a manner that will make my own creativity inevitable. Far from needing the church to “provide an outlet” within its structure, it is actually my job to practice my gift in such a way as to “win the respect of outsiders”!

Then, it is my job to make the overflow that comes from the respect of outsiders, bless my church.

Again. The nuance in this is everything.

No one should measure her impact by the size of the gathering she can attract to a churchy event. God has been known to go out of His way to lavish top-shelf talent on tiny, remote audiences. He sent The Great Apostle Paul to a few women in Macedonia.

Give me a paintbrush and ordinary church life. I don’t need to teach a class, and I don’t need a class to teach me. No church should be a place where there’s “clear structure” (meaning: ladder to climb) in which I get the possibility to “advance”. Nope. Real church is like family dinner.

Serving my church looks like living in such a way as to be “Exhibit A” in finding out what is possible for me “in Christ”, not “in my church”.

Opportunity Versus Opportunist {...in which Sheila shares some bold and controversial thoughts...}