You know there is a whole facebook page that says "You know you are a YWAMer when..."
The strangest thing however is that there is so much diversity within YWAM that we almost pride ourself in being different..
We often prefer the term movement rather than an organisation.
The reality however that we are still an organisation.... even if you want to call it a movement.
We can play around with words a lot and make things sound spiritual but I like to call a spade a spade. It is like some political correctness, you can replace words all you like, you still have to use another word for it.
YWAM likes being decentralised. The is a lot of freedom in that but depending on your personality type it may be perceived as a chaos theory lol. Although a spirit led one at that. No matter how hard you try you still need an organisational structure.
One facebook comment is that I saw was you know you are a ywamer if a certain US airline has you in their airmiles club..
Really?
I would be happy if I use my passport again before it expires in 5 years.
(Even then I wish it to be a family holiday over a conference or gathering)
Ywamer's love their gatherings...me I would prefer to stay at home unless I felt called to go to a gathering.
Oh there is lots of diversity within YWAM.
If I were to go on outreach, I would look up the YWAM base prior to my leaving and ask permission or ask to be in partnership...
I am not a hit and run type of person.... if I am going somewhere I would want the local team to feel blessed, be able to follow up and that the name and the existing relationship that people have in the area would not be worse off then when the team came.
You see relationship is a high value base for me.
The number of contacts I get of people that want to stay at my base is quite high, especially in the summer. YWAMers are big on hospitality and big bases tend to have cheap beds for the passing ex ywamer or friend.
I don't have a big base or spare beds ( although if someone out there wants to help my family get a bigger house I would be up for that)
I answer emails explaining I don't have residential beds at my base and some find it quite strange... its harder to get staff as I don't have a residential base as the cost is so much more.
I don't even do DTS courses or in fact any U of N courses at my base...
Ever feel out of place?
I am a YWAM staff member, my husband is not and my kids would not say they are YWAM kids. (Although they enjoy a trip to the big house.)
Someone said to me recently, I know your a missionary but I kind of forget that and I can tell you anything and I know you will accept me and that you won't hit me with a book...
And I found that to be a compliment.
I recently heard a preacher talking about sealing the deal and kind of guilt complexing the audience...as you need to get people to that place and confront them.
Me.... well I am less confrontation than that.
When I was a teenager I always recall someone saying that faith is like a baby bird being fed... you have to feed it just right at the right time. Too little, it will starve, too fast and it will choke, gag, maybe be sick and maybe even resent you for force feeding and due to the traumatic experience it may never feed again and then it certainly will die.
I like that picture. (not because of the starving bird.)
I like it as it says a lot about the relationship and certainly I know lots of people that may have been force fed something and at present they are reluctant to have another taste of what is good.
So much of what we may think is a good way to evangelise is co-ordinated. We will invite you to this thing, then a few weeks later we will go deeper...
I tend to journey with people. Life can give you some really hard blows.
One interesting book I have read is the Art of Neigboring (American book, hence the American spelling)
It challenges you to think about how many neighbours you know, and at differing levels. It challenges you to be. To have a party for party sake, to grow relationship... not with a motive to invite them to church (although you never know that might happen but it might not.)
So as a relational person, a long term roots person, I am not the what some people think when they think of YWAM. I am an introvert, a thinker a strategic player.
I did get a travel mug out yesterday to go to church as we were late so I had not had my coffee, but a part from that, I am just a regular person trying to be obedient to a call to my community.
