Before I am 40 (Part Two)

Matt Hosier linked to a good article by John Maxwell for young leaders here which is based on this.

In it there is a little nugget of 10 things to do before you are 40.

1. Know yourself
2. Settle your family life
3. Determine your priorities
4. Develop your philosophy of life
5. Get physically fit
6. Learn your trade
7. Pay the price
8. Develop solid relationships
9. Prepare for the future
10. Find purpose for your life

Time for a bit of self analysis. I am aged 30, so have a decade to hit some targets, but why wait? I have already looked at the opening 5 in this post. Now it is time for the last 5.

6. Learn your trade

• I have sat in elders meetings since the age of 23 and became an elder aged 29.
• I have served with Mum's & Toddlers, Senior citizen's, Cell Leadership, Cell oversight, Youth, Children's work, Words projection and more.
  
• I have preached on Sundays, Christian unions, Alpha Course, Freedom in Christ, Blowing your Cover and more.
• I don't see being a Christian leader as a "Trade" as such but there are not many "jobs" in Church life that I have not been willing to do myself, from clearing up sick to preaching at a Carol Service.
  

7. Pay the price

• I gave up a graduate job with Accenture to follow my call into serving the Church
• I am learning what it means to help people through the hardest times, and the personal cost of other people's pain
  
• I am also learning how to take harsh criticism from people who are projecting their own sadness onto you
• I am continually trying to lay down my desire for more stuff, for status, for wealth, to be comfortable and am choosing a generous way of living, while trying not to be being jealous of people with more than me
  

8. Develop solid relationships

• Friendships matter. I have some real friends. Some proper "ring them up at 3am because your car broke down" kind of friends. The kind who stick up for me and tell me when I am out of line
• Esther is my key friendship: if our friendship is not secure then there is trouble ahead
  

9. Prepare for the future

• We have a plan. It involves kids at some stage if possible. It involves jobs, especially Esther qualifying as a Social Worker in about two and a half years
• We are open to God to open new opportunities for us
• We are looking for a future here that does not just look like what today looks like, but presses into what God has in store in an exciting way
  

10. Find purpose for your life

• If I had any more "purpose" at the moment I think I might pop!
• What I need is time to fulill the purpose, wisdom to prioritise the purpose and grace walk the journey