We meet every Wednesday morning for breakfast. We preach at 5 different churches of the same Christian fellowship. Our congregations range in size from 250 to 2500 in attendance. We care deeply about each other and our ministries. Each Wednesday, we each order the same 1 egg breakfast - well, at least we use the same menu item to order ...

  • 1 scrambled egg, white toast, bacon, add hash browns, diet Dr. Pepper
  • 1 scrambled egg, no toast, 1 extra slice of bacon, iced tea
  • 1 scrambled egg, wheat toast, bacon, water (sometimes milk or coffee)
  • 1 egg over medium, wheat toast, bacon, water (but thinking about diet Dr. Pepper)
  • 1 egg over medium, biscuit, bacon, add an extra egg, coffee

Yes, we all ordered the same breakfast listed on the menu, but it takes a stenographer to take down our orders and then get the cook to understand our wishes! Fortunately, the young ladies who take care of our order are patient with their weekly attack of the preacher-types and their vast array of breakfast peculiarities.

We live in an age of personal choices — we want every decision to offer us a menu of choices even if we choose the same thing every time we eat. Having menu choices gives us a sense of power, importance, and control over our otherwise harried and out of control lives. So we demand our right to choose even when we don't choose something different.

There are some things, however, that are non-negotiable. While the 5 of us cannot agree on how to properly order a 1 egg breakfast, we do believe in one Savior sent by the one Father. Each us is profoundly dedicated to his wife. We all love our children with an undying passion. We each care deeply for the congregation of God's people we have been called to lead and to love. We all look forward to the return of the Lord Jesus and the breaking down of all the barriers and boundaries that separate people from each other and their Lord. And the list could go on and on ...

Most of us do like variety. Most of us do love for things to change. God placed these desires in us and then demonstrated his preference for change and choice by having our seasons change, by having a sense of humor when designing plants and animals, by making our world full of such varied terrain, and by choosing to decorate each morning and evening sky differently.

On the other hand, many of us also love some things to be stable, dependable, and predictable. I can't help but believe that the apostle Paul had this in mind when he wrote:

We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ. (Ephesians 4:4-7 NLT)

Most of us do like variety.
What are your non-negotiables?

What are the key essentials on which you refuse to budge?

While it may be great to be pliable, amenable, and agreeable to choices and change, sooner or later we have to stand our ground on something we believe is worth living and dying to honor, to propagate, and to defend. How we order our 1 egg breakfast doesn't matter much. Whether we honor God with our lives matters eternally. So where do you take your stand?