Every Star Trek fan knows that San Francisco is the home of Starfleet headquarters. Not only is the Bay Area an international community, but could it be inter-galactic?…well at least in our creative imaginations.
I’ve served with you now for more than five and half years as your Pastor for Mission and Vision. Like pioneers, our journey has been a trek towards that undiscovered country…the future. We traveled over hard terrain, come to terms with some history, and charted new points for tomorrow. We are now facing a new landscape, a new starting line.
I’ve long thought of the PCUSA as old 1957 DeSoto, a Presbymuterobile, a comfortable, reliable classic. Yet, despite the tune ups, and the overhauls, its insurmountable challenge is that we have run out of road to drive it. Going forward in the same old ways, is like trying to drive that DeSoto across the ocean. Logically, I imagined we would trade our classic for a sailboat. However, living near Starfleet Command has changed my perspective. Turns out, our next vehicle is not a sail boat after all. It’s waaayy more exciting than that. During this time, we have retooled, reshaped, realigned our Presbytery. We have in effect built a new one. It’s a Star Ship! The Star Ship SF Presbytery! She is equipped with a new Transwarp drive. She is staffed with dedicated fantastic crew. Now it’s time to Boldly Go!
Navigating a Star Ship isn’t like driving our car, or sailing a boat. We need another way to Boldly Go. Lately I’ve become enchanted by a book titled “Designing your life: How to Build a Well-lived, Joyful Life” by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. Their process encourages you to look at who you are. What energizes you? What engages you in such a way you forget about the clock? Then generate lots of ideas about living into those life-giving activities. Instead of waiting on THE “idea of the century,” you try things. You experiment your way forward, prototype the road ahead. One of the big advantages of a designer’s mindset is that over time you develop an immunity to failure. You “fail forward.” Designing Your Life offers a way to Boldly Go.
This could be a helpful resource for personal growth, strengthening ministry teams, and more. Our life is more than achieving an objective; rather it’s about who you become because you took the journey. Designing means growing, becoming more fully the person you know you were meant to be. Its’ about giving room, space, permission for more of YOU to come forth. Letting your creative side, explorer side, play a more prominent role. It’s a Faith Trek. The destination is becoming who God created you to be.
So, I’m excited to start a conversation about designing your life and ministry. If you feel such a stirring of the Spirit, then perhaps we can sojourn together. We can learn to “think like designers.” If there are several, we can create designing groups.
Call me and let’s dream!
It’s not the destination. It’s who you become by taking the journey.
Till then….Second Star to the right…straight on till morning.
~Rev. Jeff Hutcheson, Ph.D
March 30, 2018