Journeyman

Our church is having a stab at working through The Purpose Driven Life. It’s not a ‘you must do this’ kind of thing, or ‘the best book ever written (after the Bible)’ but rather a theme for the start of the year. Tany and I both had the book and have tried previously to work through it. I got to chapter five last time.

Last night we were reading the chapter on What Drives Your Life? I’m fortunate that I really enjoy my job and that I want to be a success – I guess partly in the eyes of others – but also by the goals and challenges that I set for myself. Last night I was reminded, though, that my ambition should be to please God, not just to fulfill my ambitions or that of my boss, friends, family, etc.

I mention this just now because of two things.

One, I’m having an annual review this week and some of the questions I’ve had to think about in advance have been about what I see myself doing in the future. Tany and I have been talking about this recently, and had settled on the decision that I’d be staying with Wycliffe for at least another two years. Meaning that I’d be here for three years instead of two. Partly this is out of my professional pride. I’ve been working to improve the communications of Wycliffe in the UK, it would be a shame to move on before these start having an effect.

The second is that I’m starting to get asked to give some kind of consultancy service to some other organisations. Currently one church and one other Christian charity. It’s something that really interests me, partly because of the variety it will give me and also because I get to help some other people. However, time is an issue and I need to be able to devote most of my energy to my full-time job.

When I started in marketing I was given some advice, ‘say yes to everything and get as much exposure and experience as possible’. Currently I’m still thinking along these lines, but I just need to take care that I don’t overstreatch and stop having time for Tany or to do my main job.