Last week marked the 70th anniversary of D-Day. As I watched some of the ceremonies on television it took me back to a meeting in Vail, Colorado several years ago. There were 12 people in the room – 6 couples. We were there at the invitation of Roger Randall – at that time, the Campus Crusade V.P. for Europe. Roger had invited us – me and Linda as staff, and 4 other couples from successful business and professional careers – to meet with him to discuss the spiritual challenges and opportunities in Europe.
The question was simply, “Could we work together to build a ministry that could significantly contribute toward helping lead people in Europe and Russia to Jesus?”
During that weekend the Lord reminded us of the effort that went into the historic Normandy landing. As we considered the spiritual situation in Europe we concluded that, like Normandy, if we wanted to make a difference our efforts – born out of prayerful dependence on God, would have to be:
- Strategic – Aiming to do thing others weren’t doing, and making sure that they led to a strategic impact.
- Focused – Keeping our eyes on the Lord and building for the long-term. Being sure of what God called us to and “staying the course” in spite of the pressures that would come in this kind of endeavor.
- Sacrificial – Recognizing that success would only come through giving our lives to the cause – if not literally, as was the case in Normandy – then certainly emotionally and spiritually.
The bottom line for Normandy? It was strategic, focused, sacrificial and it led to ultimate victory. That is our prayer for Momentum Europe. Victory will be evident when every day, across Europe, there are millions of people talking about Jesus. Victory will come in God’s perfect time. In the meantime let’s remain strategic, focused and sacrificial.