Henri Nouwen on being mastered by God...



Henri Nouwen, speaking of education for ministry, writes:

To prepare ourselves for service we have to prepare ourselves for an articulate not knowing, a docta ignorantia, a learned ignorance. This is difficult to accept for people whose whole attitude is toward mastering and controlling the world. We all want to be educated so that we can be in control of the situation and make things work according to our own need. But education to ministry is an education not to master God but to be mastered by God.

That said, I have completed my Master’s Degree through ACU. Excellent teachers and mentors have opened me to a world outside of my limited perspective and experience, helping me to appreciate more, and judge less. I am more assured of the beauty, the goodness, and the truth of the gospel, but less able to boil it down to human categories; God no longer fits in my American cultural “box”, or any other culture’s expectations.

So instead of a Master’s of Arts in Religion, it should be a Master’s of Articulate not Knowing (MAK). If only being Mastered by God came as easy!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On another note, this is a big weekend for us, as we meet with the mission committee of the Downtown church in Searcy, Arkansas. It is our prayer that this church decides to support our future ministry in Tanzania. To the reader who stumbles upon this blog: can you make it your prayer, too?