Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
“The positive obligation of cooperating in good should lead every Christian to bring Christ’s message to every human activity – professional work included – in the best way or she can. The true Christian cannot simply avoid doing evil himself, being careless about the influence actions have on the behavior of others…
Cooperating in good implies, of course, avoiding any cooperation with evil, not only in important decisions but also in the small ways that easily lie to hand not wasting money – even in small amounts – on magazines, newspapers, books, shows, and entertainment, which because of their sectarian, anti-Christian, or immoral character, damage the soul…
The Christian must cooperate in the common good by seeking and offering positive solutions to the perennial problems; he or she cannot limit himself or herself to simply not voting for a party or a program which attacks Christian family values… There must be a constant, deep doctrinal apostolate, free from false prudence, and not afraid of going against the stream…”
Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 365.
Yesterday was priceless. It started with an early morning zoom, then a drive through rush hour traffic to the airport and a typical domestic airline flight.
But on the other end of that flight was a friend and a brother with whom I am “cooperating in good” regardless of what others are doing.
He collected me at the airport. Then we spent four hours together. A new park opened up on the north side of Nashville so we went for a hike. We walked a few miles over a few hours.
It was peaceful (see the path pictured above). We did not let the troubles of the world dominate our conversation. We reflected on the faithfulness of God, the gift of our families, and areas of service.
He’s knocking on 70 so I challenged him to do a discernment retreat to think about what God desires for his next year and decade. This time gave me insight on how to pray for my friend.
I added how God keeps stretching me as I trust in Him. We had no agenda other than to enjoy time together as spiritual friends. It was good, really good.
As members of God’s “constant, deep doctrinal apostolate” which is a fancy phrase for God’s fellow workers, we encouraged each other and experienced enrichment from God.
The walk in the woods was the highlight for sure. Over half our time was spent enjoying God’s creation. The trail led us to a small stream. The visit to quiet waters restored our souls.
After this experience we had dinner at Cracker Barrel and he ventured more than an hour south and a Lyft carried me two hours north to Louisville. What if you did something like this?
Schedule time with a beloved Christian worker. Go for a walk together. Locate a peaceful place to talk and pray. It might encourage and enrich you in indescribable ways.
And it may also empower you (like it did for us) to continue to cooperate in good in big and small ways and to encourage each other to keep walking the path marked out for us.
And I appreciate your prayers for me as I speak in the Executive Leadership track serving 30-60 CEO’s and Executive Directors at the Missio Nexus 2024 Mission Leaders Conference. Thanks.