Jim Govatos: Be ready

Two days from now I will be heading to Mexico with our Aloma UMC Mission Team. Some team members have been packed for a week. I am not. It’s not that I haven’t been thinking about the trip; the trip has been on my mind for nearly a year. It’s just that a lot of things have gotten in the way.

I have been working on the trip. I’ve helped with washing windows, I went to a training day with the team, and I’ve even got my sermon ready to preach while I’m there. I’m just not packed.

True confession: I tend to be a last-minute packer. And that has gotten me into trouble on a number of occasions. One time I forgot my underwear. Another time, my socks. Yet another time it was my hairbrush. Then my toothbrush. Each time I forget something I vow never to do that again, and I don’t — I forget something else!

Tonight when I get home, I’m going to make a list. And hopefully I will get to spend most of the day packing. But if I’m interrupted, I’m pretty sure I will forget something. I just hope it’s not anything essential such as my passport.

I tell you this because any great journey requires great preparation. Throwing things together at the last moment generally ends in chaos, and forgotten underwear! Aloma UMC is about to embark on one of those great journeys, and I want to make sure we are prepared.

Last April I announced that the Church Council had called for a season of fasting and revival. We will be fasting from our normal fall ministry lineup in order to concentrate on encountering God in a fresh way, and seeing what He has in store for our future. This is a new venture, even for me. I’ve been part of revival meetings in the past, but never part of a whole season of seeking God in this way. I don’t think we can just use a pre-fabricated checklist of things that need to be done, but we do need to spend some time preparing.

As I was thinking about this season, I came up with a few preparations for the journey that I think will be helpful:

• Pray. I know a lot of us already pray on a regular basis, but I think it is important to pray specifically about what God wants to do in each of us and in our church during this season. In the history of the church, all great revivals have been preceded by passionate prayer.

• Clear your calendars. While we are not asking you to do certain things, like sell rummage, pumpkins and trees, we are asking you to be available for certain important events, like the Revival Meetings at the beginning and end of the season. As you will see in the new issue of “Advance,” we have great speakers like Pat Morley, Vonette Bright, Dr. Joel Hunter and Bishop Allen Wiggins coming to our meetings. Each meeting is important because each helps build momentum in our hearts for God to do something great. Family dinners are also important to keep the family connection alive.

• Read your bibles. I was recently “ambushed” by a passage of scripture in my daily reading. Some months ago, I was given Isaiah 43:19 as the theme text for our revival: “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” Sounds like a nice promise. But then in my daily reading, I came across it in context and discovered that God was saying what He was about to do would trump anything in the past. That gives me great hope for our revival.

• Prepare your hearts. People have reacted to the news of our fast/revival in any number of ways: relief, anger, excitement, fear, hope and concern. These are all expressions of our hearts. What I am asking is for all of us, regardless of our feelings, to open our hearts to what God wants to do in us during this time. Revival means to “bring back to life.” Spend some time asking God what part of your heart he wants to revive. Maybe it is a feeling, or a dream. Maybe He wants you to experience new freedom from an old hurt or sin. Spending time opening yourself to Him will make the work that much easier.

I’m sure I’ve probably left something off the list. That would be just like me. However, as I look back over it, I think it is a pretty good start for what I believe will be an incredible journey for us all. I believe Jesus has great things in store for the people who are willing and ready to follow Him. Let’s make sure we are ready so we don’t miss a bit of the experience.

Rev. Jim Govatos currently serves as Senior Pastor at Aloma United Methodist Church located in Winter Park. A former atheist, Jim is passionate about helping people understand and experience a living faith in Jesus Christ. Please share your thoughts by emailing him at [email protected]