Updated 3/27/12

Have you ever experienced something that was so powerful — so profound — that you just knew you would be different forever because of it?

In a previous post, I talked about 1 Question that was asked of me as a senior in college… that sent shock waves through my soul.

This one question opened my eyes to a reality in ministry leadership – and potentially in my own heart – that I needed to be made aware of.

It had the potential to be the difference between some form of success… and wild failure.

The day I was asked that one question my view of a number of things changed… and I knew that my attitudes and actions had to follow suit.

The kind of timely questions that can only come from someone who has been there, someone who has experienced the realities – the pain, frustration, joy, excitement, the highs and lows of life and decisions in ministry – have the potential to leave a resounding impact on the mind and soul of their recipients.

The impact of this one question, asked nearly 15 years ago, has served to shape my approach to ministry with female students on campus, my understanding of appropriate and inappropriate uses of power and influence, the need for boundaries in ministry, the importance of accountability and the reality of just how quickly you can lose everything.

Now, in a desire to be fully transparent, the initial waves of awareness and change were not all positive.

In fact, well into my first year of ministry on campus I was sat down by my supervisor and asked, “if I had something AGAINST women.” She had been questioned by a number of the female students involved with the campus ministry about what appeared to be my great affinity for the men on campus, and a total lack of concern for the women.

That ’1 question’ had SO scared me that I had put up a fortress around myself that was virtually impenetrable by anyone without a Y-chromosome in their genetic make-up.

Those who were leading me in those early years of ministry had to help me understand the implications of restricting my ministry efforts to only 1/3 of the campus population (they typical male/female breakdown on most Christian college campuses)… and assure me that the walls of my fortress were going to have to come down quite a bit if I was going to be effective in ministry on campus.

There is incredible power in the wisdom shared by the wise.

Learning what to do with shared wisdom can be a daunting task for its recipient. But a life and ministry that does not have wisdom being spoken into it is one that is left unsecured and very much exposed to the perils that lay in wait.

What question has served to profoundly shape you and/or your ministry?

How do you speak wisdom into the lives of those you serve?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!