2 Timothy 2:15 — Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The keynote speaker at the conference yesterday was Colonel Chris Hadfield, onetime Commander of the International Space Station. He’s been launched into space aboard the Space shuttle and a Russian Soyuz craft, as well as commanding a NASA undersea mission to test exploration concepts living in an underwater facility off the Florida coast. Pretty impressive, hey?
This conference is all about helping businesses use Information technology better. It’s based around the idea that there’s a “right” way to deal with changes and the problems they bring, and to make sure people can do their jobs as well as possible using their techie toys. “All very interesting,” you might say “but what has any of that got to do with building the kingdom?”
Launching a space shuttle (and getting it back), running a complex Information Technology environment, building the kingdom … these are all big jobs! And they do have some things in common.
Someone asked Colonel Hadfield what they key to successful missions (and there’s an interesting word) was. He called out two things — a solid foundation of competence, and repetition. It’s about knowing what you are doing, and doing it so often that it becomes second nature.
When it comes to making sure people can use their tools properly, over the years a really well understood set of formal processes has emerged. There is a solid recognition that there’s a right way, and a wrong way. The way the processes are delivered varies from place to place, but the broad approach is always the same.
When Jesus was training His first set of kingdom builders he spent the best part of three years with them, teaching them what they needed to do (that’s the foundation of competence), sending them out to practice, and then reviewing with them, and offering correction. By the time He was crucified, they were ready …
It’s well understood by now, I think, that missions and witnessing work best when they are well planned and organized — there are well-defined approaches and processes.
Building the kingdom works best when we take our common-sense knowledge and experience of what works in our other activities, and then let the Holy Spirit direct. It’s not a mystery. That’s where my verse of the day comes in. If we want to be succesful building the kingdom, we need to do what all the people around me at this conference are doing — learn to use the tools!