The Three Cs Plus One

Making Life-Changing Decisions in Middle Age

Ive had the pleasure of having breakfast with Richard in about a half dozen countries over the last decade. Hes a pastoral coach who provides member care for our eld teams around the Muslim world. He and I played airport tag last summer jumping from the Middle East, to South Asia, and on to Southeast Asia to serve at regional conferences. I think he was going to be gone from home about six weeks. Richard loves the pace and the people and is gifted with immunity to jet lag. He is also 75 years old. Alison and I were nishing our coee with Richard one breakfast at a conference when I decided I ought to obey the book of Proverbs to seek wisdom from this wise saint. Richard, I said, Im twenty years behind you in life. What advice would you give me? Or, if you like, what would you have done dierently when you were my age? Richard didnt hesitate. Well, John, I would have taken more risks. More risks? I was incredulous. Richard, I know that when you were in middle age you gave up a successful job in business to become a pastor. Then, you gave up your pastorate to raise support and join the member care department of our agency so you could minister to our people on Muslim elds. Werent those enough risks? Richard just smiled. With soft eyes, he said, John, you know that there are three temptations I struggle with every day to overcome. I call them the three Cs: comfort, convenience, and control. My inner man longs for me to seek physical comfort, to live with the most convenience, and to do all I can to control my environment. Every day, I have to ght against making decisions based primarily on these urges. Did I mention that Richard is 75 years old? Richard, I said, with all due respect, most people I know (including myself ) would say that at your age you have earned comfort, convenience, and control. And most people in the world struggle every day to gain those three Cs, not to overcome the urge to pursue them.

Alison added a fourth to Richards 3 Cs. We do not want to just coast during the rest of our days of ministry.
Cor. 2:5).

Richard just smiled back with his warm, wise eyes. Alison leaned forward. You know, Richard, Ive been thinking about how we can nish well in our remaining years of ministry, however long the Lord gives us. I have a C word of my own. I dont want to just coast to the end of the race. Richard was unaware that at that moment we were considering an invitation by leaders in our movement to move to the International Oce (I.O.) of our agency in England after 26 years of serving in Narnia. Alison and I had already agreed we would not make our decision based on a list of pros and cons, but on the principle of stewardship and the conviction Alison articulated to Richard: we simply do not want to coast during the rest of our race here on earth. We were seeking the Lord for discernment for His will, a discernment that was not solely based on human wisdom or what is logical (1

Richards three Cs gave more support for our conviction. If we had made a list of pros and cons or had been seeking Richards three Cs, the idea of moving to England would have been a non-starter. At our age, beginning life over in any new country would denitely disturb our levels of comfort, convenience, and control. We were comfortable in Narnia. We loved our co-workers, the locals, the food, the weather. Infrastructure upgrades made living there increasingly convenient. Of course, we were never in complete control of everything there, but at least we were very clear on what we could and what we could not control. No, we did not want to decide on leaving Narnia based on the 3 Cs. We would never have come to England. But, as Alison warned, we would have faced the temptation to just coast the nal laps of our race in Narnia.

web: www.frontiers.org.uk

INVITING ALL MUSLIM PEOPLES TO FOLLOW JESUS tel: 0303 333 5051 email: gillie@frontiers.org.uk

WITH LOVE AND RESPECT,