The Centre for Lifelong Learning

By Steve Edlin, ma, mfcc

"Performance Review - Yuck!" This is how I used to view the periodic job reviews we had in Campus Crusade. The part that got me was the "performance" part. It felt too much like someone looking over my shoulder, ready to pounce on anything I hadn't done right. To be honest, too many performance reviews are conducted in that fashion. They focus on what isn't being done properly and ignore what is being done well. This is both wrong and unhelpful.

Another term for such reviews is "development” review. I like the word "development" much better because it focuses on growth. A “development” review allows me to see where I am in the growth process. It will show me the areas where God has developed me and the areas that still need development.

What we call a periodic review isn't as important as the attitude we have toward the personal and professional growth a review can help us achieve. As Christians we are all in the process of becoming what God created us to be. The scriptures clearly teach us that we are being transformed "from glory to glory" into the image of Christ. "Development" is a Biblical concept. An important part of life long learning and growth is a periodic review of our development. This too is Biblical. We are encouraged to “be very careful how we live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.” This includes reviewing progress in our growth from time to time. Growth plans for enhancing competence and effectiveness are an essential part of TEAM’s Strategic Vision because they emphasize this Biblical encouragement to be intentional about our growth and development.

In this article I want to focus on what I consider to be the most critical element the review process, how to have a Day of Prayer and Vision. A Day of Prayer and Vision is really just spending a day with the Lord. This can seem daunting if you are not used to doing it. However, if you do it regularly, it will become something you look forward to. There is evidence in the Gospels that Jesus regularly got away to spend time with the Lord in a concentrated way for both Spiritual nurture and guidance. A Day of Prayer and Vision is not just an extended Quiet Time, or a one time event useful for big crises. It is certainly always appropriate when you just need spiritual refreshment and renewal, or are facing an important decision in your life. However, we in TEAM also want to make it a part of the development review process. We are asking all TEAM personnel, singles, husbands, and wives (babysitting husbands appreciated!); to set aside time at least once a year for a day of prayer and vision that is focused on a growth plan.

So how do you spend a whole day with the Lord? There is no magic formula and every person is unique so please make sure you personalize your time. "Man (and woman) was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man." Here are some suggestions that may help you.

First, plan your day. Make sure you find a place where you can be alone with the Lord without interruption or distraction. If you can do it in your home, fine, but you will most likely find you need to get away. Home often has too many distractions, computer with email to answer, unfinished laundry, prayer letter half written, dust on the TV, kids, people who drop by, etc. If you do stay at home, unplug the phone, don’t answer the door, and make sure you do not do anything else during this day. This is a needed discipline if you really want it to be a day with the Lord. The Psalmist said he had "stilled and quieted his soul" before the Lord. The value of the Day of Prayer and Vision is being able to still and quiet our soul before the Lord, something difficult to do even with the best intentions in familiar surroundings. Husbands you will want to take care of the kids for a day while your wife has her Day of Prayer and Vision unless other arrangements can be made.

I like to go away the night before and make it a personal prayer retreat. Obviously you can’t travel far or it defeats the purpose, but there may be somewhere an hour away that you can go for the night. Having the extra time the evening before to quiet yourself, even if you spend it just reading and relaxing can prepare you for the Day with the Lord. You also may want to plan to fast some or all of the time. I sometimes do this and other times do not. If you do not fast you should plan for meals in such a way that it does not take time away or disrupt your day.

You will want a rough plan in your mind to organize the day. There are four things that you want do, Worship, Feed on God’s Word, Pray, and Plan. You do not want a schedule that is too strict, because you want to leave room for the Holy Spirit to guide you. On the other hand you want to make sure you leave plenty of time for planning. A general rule for me is to get to the planning part by the beginning of the afternoon. We are asking you to do this at least once a year, but our hope is that you will do it several times a year, ideally quarterly. If you do it more often, you can be more flexible in your use of time. For example on other days of prayer and vision you could spend the whole day, just in worship, prayer, and feeding on the Word. However, at least once a year you need to make sure you have some good time for planning and looking to the future.

Second, begin your day worshiping the Lord in song and prayer. Bring songbooks, hymnals, tapes or CD’s of worship music, a musical instrument, or anything that helps you worship. Sometimes I like to sing and sometimes I like to just listen to worship songs. As I go along I talk to God about what I am singing or hearing. This begins to tune my heart in to the Lord. I had to teach myself to do this because it did not come naturally to me. I was used to a more cognitive approach to God. However, I have learned that this is a real key to hearing from God. As you worship, consciously submit yourself to God and to His sovereign will for your life. This is a key to God revealing his will to you. Let your attitude be, “Lord, I am here to hear from you, not to tell you what I have got planned and ask you to bless it.” Though you begin your day in worship, you will also want to take time to just worship the Lord through out the day as you fellowship with Him.

As you worship and throughout the day, be sensitive to God wanting to point out un-confessed sin in your life. You may want to take a moment to ask God if there are areas of your life that you have not confessed to Him. Make a list of anything He shows you and then write 1John 1:9 across the page and accept God’s cleansing and forgiveness. Tear up the paper and enjoy the freedom of fellowship with God that His Son purchased for you on the cross.

Third, spend extended time studying the Word. I sometimes do a study on a topic and other times study a specific passage of scripture. I like to dig, look up cross-references and words, and let God speak to me out of His word. It is not unusual for the Holy Spirit to lead you all over the Scriptures as you begin to listen to Him. Sometimes I will read part or all of a devotional book on a specific topic. However, I do not just read the book, but take time to look up scripture references from the book and really chew over the Word. How you study God’s Word is up to you. The important thing is that you dig in the Word. The goal is not a theological dissertation, but neither is it just reading a few verses. The goal is to meet with the Lord. The Word is so important because it helps us get God's mind. As we read and reflect on His word, we begin to think God's thoughts. God's Word also begins to wash all the craziness out of our heads and focus us on wisdom and reality.

Fourth, discuss God's word with Him. I love the conversations Tevya has with God in the musical "Fiddler on the Roof". A few years ago I started doing this with the Lord while I was studying the Word. "God are you saying . . .? Does this passage really mean . . .?" I have found it helpful in opening up communication with God, especially when I am spending a day with Him. Discussing with God and asking Him questions means that you will spend time waiting and listening after your questions. Keep a pad and paper with you and write down what you sense God is saying to you.

Fifth, after several hours with the Lord worshipping, studying, talking and listening, I usually sense that I am tuning in to Him. My thinking begins to clear and I am aware of becoming more focused. At this point I begin to reflect on my life and the direction God wants to give me for the near and distant future. I use my journal to write down key thoughts as I think about these questions. In fact I keep my journal with me the whole day and write down things as I study the Word, worship, and pray, always ready to write down what God may be saying.

This is the place to use the sample growth plans we have provided for you. Pick one that is most helpful to you or develop your own using these as models. Some are very detailed, while others are much simpler. The goal here is that you use the process to spend time with God and gain direction for your personal and professional life. I begin by reviewing the past. I do this by looking over a file I keep of past Days of Prayer and Vision. I don’t spend a lot of time on this, but it is good to be reminded of where I have been and where I am before I begin to look at the next steps in God’s plan. At this point questions like these can be helpful:

You may want to pray a unique prayer something like this: "Lord, if you were me with my gifts, abilities, strengths, interests, and limits, what would you be doing and planning in the power of the Holy Spirit?" Note the prayer is not, "Lord, if I were you." because you are not God and never will be. It is also not, "Lord, if I were Billy Graham (or some other dynamic Christian leader) . . ." If we get it turned around we will set ourselves up for failure. It is "Lord, what do you want to do through the unique person you have created me to be me?" This is where I listen for either confirmation of existing goals for my life and any refinements God wants to make for the future, or new goals God may want me to begin moving toward.

I may look at all areas of my life, or just one or two depending on how I sense God is leading me. Some people look at every area of their life every time they have a Day of Prayer and Vision. Sometimes that is too overwhelming for me, but for others it may not be. In addition to my work and ministry, I find God wanting me to focus on one or two areas of my personal life at a time. It may be my marriage, or a specific area of weakness, or my relationship with my daughter. This doesn’t mean I neglect the other areas of my life but that the priority for growth is in those areas that God singles out. In some areas I just need to maintain what God has already done while intentionally seeking to grow in one or two other key areas.

In closing let me say a word or two about what to expect from a day like this. My experience with these days varies. Sometimes the days are life changing, direction altering, mountain top experiences. Other times they are good, but nothing dramatic. A few times they have even been real spiritual battles. In all cases, I am always glad I spent the Day with the Lord. Even on the days when it is a struggle, I still come away feeling I had done the right thing. God had an impact on my life even though it did not necessarily seem evident at the time. My point is that you need to have realistic expectations in terms of the experience of the day and that it may vary. God will always meet you if you get alone with Him. This is the bottom line.

After spending the day with the Lord and writing your growth plan for the coming year, you need to talk it over with your growth partner, and TEAM supervisor. If you are married it makes sense to also share it with your spouse. You may want to share part if not all of it with others such as teammates or roommates. This also follows an important Biblical principle that growth takes place in the context of relationships of honesty, love, and accountability. Proverbs tells us that there is strength in godly counsel, and Ephesians 4 is clear that the body grows by what each joint supplies.

We are asking all TEAM personnel to take a Day of Prayer and Vision as part of their yearly growth plan development because we believe and want to emphasize what we all know in our hearts. It is God who is the source and the guide in our lives. When we spend time with Him at least once a year (more is encouraged) discussing the direction He has for our lives and ministry, He will speak to us. As we do this together and encourage one another we will be transformed more and more into the image of Christ “from glory to glory” and over our career of service we will see God do all that he has planned through our ministries.

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