We're over the top. We are just past the halfway point of summer and the halfway point between the two big church holidays, Easter and Christmas. It's often the time when attendance is down, while families are off on vacation. It's also when we can fall into the Summer Doldrums.
To the ancient sailors, the doldrums was a weather condition where little or no wind blows for days at a time. A big sailing ship would be just stuck in the water. The crew would be mostly bored from inactivity and some would even become depressed.
The tech squad can fall into the doldrums this time of year too. We've come through the rush of Easter, but it's still a long time till Christmas. It's likely the perfect time to take care of things that we've been putting off, but we can usually find other things to keep us busy.
The bigger challenge may be allowing ourselves to fall into spiritual doldrums. We get can get complacent. We feel like there is a silence on God's part. I've heard some say that they feel like their prayers are “just hitting the ceiling.” During these times we have to always remind ourselves that He never moves.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” - Hebrews 13:8
So as hard as it might be to believe, the problem is with us. The Bible teaches that this walk of faith is supposed to be an active process of checking ourselves. If we are in sin, we should repent. If we are simply not doing anything, let's get busy. Listen to the instruction that Paul gives to the young minister that he trained up:
“Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” - 1 Timothy 4:13-16
Timothy was a pastor, so he needed to make sure that he was doing what God called him to do: public reading of Scripture, exhortation, teaching. What if Timothy was a techie? What is the “gift” that he should not neglect? Sound? Lighting? Video Production? Maintenance? Paul would give that same command: “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them”. The summer down time is the time to practice your gift, to immerse yourself in it.
What comes to your mind when you read this? Is there a project that you've been wanting to start? Maybe a short video you want to make? A new effect you want to try? A new person you want invite to join the tech team? Perhaps, there's something else you've been putting on the back burner. Do you think that maybe God has forgotten that thing. Remember this from Paul to the church in Rome:
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” - Romans 11:29
This might be the perfect time to start honing the skill that is your gift from God. It's time to immerse yourself in it. Maybe that means you need to have a talk with someone who is more spiritually mature. Find that person who seems to have already taken the plunge. Maybe it means getting some council and training from a person who is actively doing what you believe is your gift. That may mean contacting someone at another church. You can even have an electronic mentor, who can assist you through text or email.
Summer time does not have to be the slow time. You don't need to fall into the doldrums. In agricultural terms, like the Bible uses, the summer is the time of growth. Plants sprout in spring, grow strong and mature in summer and fall is the time for harvest. What is God saying to you today? In what area is He leading you to grow?
