And, quite honestly, some of it is just plain unrepeatable. :-)
But, basically, it kinda goes like this...
On an MOA outing, Men of God serving as pastors or ministry staff members, simply make the time to step away from the incessant demands of their every day ministry positions, and instead, intentionally unplug and put all of that behind them for a few days. What they find when they do, is that they have been given the opportunity to connect with other men of God who are making the same decision they are (in being there), and who are also doing some of the same things in ministry that they are doing.
Then, suddenly, somewhere in the silence of these fleeting moments away, they find themselves reconnecting with God as they "re-tune" their hearts to the hearing of that still small, and yet lovingly persistent, voice of God. And, quite honestly, this is the most significant of things. It is in the midst of taking this time away, and focusing on the pursuit of some outdoor objective, (hunting, fishing, hiking...) in an unexpected, Kairos (καιρός) moment of time, God just... shows up. And, when He does, He speaks to the hearts of these men He has called, who have taken this time to turn aside in the wilderness.
Here's a perfect example...
This past week we went to The Chain Ranch, near Canton, Oklahoma, for our First Annual MOA Hog Hunt. (By the way, I would recommend them highly!) We took a total of 6 pastors (even though there were two last minute cancelations) and 4 out of the 6 all harvested hogs. Those are pretty awesome odds for a two day hunt!
The last of the four pastors to score a hog was a young pastor, though extremely gifted and talented, he was relatively new to the calling and to the vocation of pastoral ministry, and in the 60 days prior to this event, he had gone through some of the most difficult experiences a pastor can face. But, in the midst of those experiences in ministry, God showed up, delivered Him, and then set his feet in what the Psalmist would describe as a "wide place" (Psalm 18:19) and a new opportunity to truly live out the calling God had sown into his heart from the beginning.
In this new "wide place" where he currently found himself, he had been faced with an overwhelming abundance of decisions, alternatives, and choices to make. And, it was one of these decisions that he had also brought with him on the hog hunt. In carrying it with him, he was burdened and in search of an answer and a clear understanding of God's will regarding this particular issue.
As he sat alone in his hunting blind, on the last night of our hunt, he prayed fervently and felt led to set a "fleece" before the Lord. It was one of those "if-then" kinds of fleeces. Basically it was this, "God, I don't know what to do, I can't see what your perfect Will is. Can you help me? Can you make it clear? If you want me to do this, as silly as this request may sound, please let me shoot the largest hog on this trip."
It was just about that time that he heard a shot ring out, then a few moments later, another shot. Two of his Pastoral co-Hunter's, in different locations, but not all that far from where he was, had just shot and missed the same hog, a hog that was now, unbeknownst to him, headed his way. As darkness drew near, that very hog appeared about 100 yards in front of his blind. He raised his rifle, took a quick (but well placed) shot, and dropped a 250lb Sow.
As he went to reload for a follow up shot (just in case), he realized he had only brought the one bullet... Then he understood, in that one bullet, in a very real and personal way, God had answered his prayer, not after it was prayed, but before. God is so crazy!
At an MOA event, you just never know what exactly is going to happen, or when or how, but it is always just so stunning to walk away not only knowing that you have been in the presence of God, but that, in a way that is specific to you, you have also heard His voice.
Keep your eyes focused on Jesus!
- The MOA Team
Exodus 3:4
MOA: "Keeping Men of God 'Zeroed' on Jesus..."
