What do you want to be when you grow up?

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

It’s a question we were all asked when we were little kids. Answers ranged from a doctor, firefighter, and police officer to a teacher, veterinarian, athlete, astronaut, and everything in between.

When we were young, we had hopes and dreams for what we could become when we got older. Not only did we fantasize about the possibilities, but we also tried to test them out.

We’re seeing this happening in our house in real-time. Our three young girls have a dress-up doctor coat along with a bag full of toy medical instruments. On any given day, they can be found giving each other, or their stuffed animals, a check-up. There are times when we walk in on them playing “teacher,” as one child has the other two sitting on the floor, and is leading the “class” and giving instructions.

As young kids, the possibilities of what we can become are endless. The sky is the limit.

But somewhere along the way, for some of us, we lose the awe and wonder of what we can become and slip into the path of least resistance. We do what’s easy or convenient, or what makes us the most money. In a sense, we settle. Maybe it’s because our parents are pressuring us, or we’re facing the realities of paying the bills. But what if we could maintain that childlike amazement and desire for our future throughout our entire life?

Sometimes I wonder if the same could be asked about our faith.

Often, when we come to faith in Jesus, we are overcome by the realities of grace and salvation. We revel in the reality of being a new creation. It’s like a new world of possibilities has just been opened. There is so much potential for who we will become. But somewhere along the way the realities of life settle in, our faith becomes routine, and we stop pondering the question, “Who am I becoming?”

Transformation in the Christian life is ongoing. We never fully “arrive.” But sometimes our spiritual growth stagnates because we lose vision for who we are called to be.

This fall, we are starting a new sermon series titled, “Becoming.” The mission statement for Meadowbrook Church is:

…to invite people to discover Jesus and become his devoted followers who influence their relationships, neighborhoods, communities, and the world.

But this raises the question, “Who are we to become?” To ask it another way, “What does it look like to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus?”

Our hope with this series is that we can paint a picture for our church of what it looks like to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus. And to embrace the reality that we are always a work in progress. Therefore, we should always be asking the question, “Who am I becoming?”

In this series, we’ll look at ten different traits of a disciple. We hope that it will inspire our church with renewed vision and imagination, and even evoke some childlike wonder about what it means to follow Christ.

If you live in the Milwaukee area, we'd love for you to visit us on a Sunday to participate in the series. 

If you live in another city or state (especially, those I met while speaking at camp this summer), we'd love for you to follow along remotely. Each week, I'll a link to the sermon video, as well as discussion questions on the message. 

We hope you'll join us on the journey.