There are several times I have an idea for a great blog post, but don’t have the time to put in to editing. Other times, I just want to tell people about what’s going on in our life. Again, time. Editing.
So this is a shot at taking a (dangerous) peak into what is going on in my head these days. It’s raw. Proceed with caution. You have been warned :).
1. We’re in what I call, “Launch Season.” We’re quickly gathering all the equipment that we don’t have yet. We’re shoring up our systems and processes. We’re trying to make sure that everything works (technology, branding, equipment, flow, etc). I am absolutely experiencing the most stressful season of my entire life. To be totally honest, I’m a blend of anxious, afraid, stressed, excited and expectant. But it will be worth it to see people experience life change!
2. We left Arkansas on September 15, 2014. When I put that in perspective, I’m pretty excited about all that God has done in just a year! Who would have thought that we would be able to start having services a year from the point that we literally pulled into town? God has given us some really great people and I’m so thankful for them! They are hard-working, committed and are ready to see what God will do with our little rag tag group of friends :).
3. I have learned a lot about myself in the last year. I got started with the work of starting a church and didn’t look back. I became associated with all the options (which is what is so enticing to church planters…having creative freedom). I wanted to learn everything I could about everything before I started (which sounds smart, but is totally unreasonable). I ended up paralyzing myself with the list of choices. What night will we meet? What kind of coffee will we serve? What is our website going to look like? How do you go about inviting people to your church in a non-invasive way? Where are we going to meet? What is our structure going to look like? For some people, that’s energizing. For me, it has been quite paralyzing. In the past, I knew that I had the opportunity to be a third chair leader, as a student pastor. That provided me with so much freedom. Someone was paying for me to have an office, and a printer, and utilities for that office. We had a building that we didn’t have to haul a trailer to every week. Everything just stayed there! It’s crazy how foreign that is to me now! And I’ve never been so thankful to have been surrounded with such great leaders in my past to lead me to this point. Having stepped out, I’ve learned my limits and have become more acutely aware of my shortcomings. I am thankful to learn about myself, even though it has been learning more about my weaknesses. I believe that will make me a better leader and an even better husband and father.
4. One of my greatest regrets from the last twelve months is that I haven’t stopped to reflect as much as I promised myself that I would. I’m a sap, so I love to look back at the big moments that God showed how good He is. Unfortunately, I have very little written down from the last year. I think I’ll pair that up with my day off. This (mind dump) is honestly going to help me process through what God is doing and how I’m doing.
5. I have a strong belief that God is going to use our little church plant to do something pretty big. As I tell the story of Access Church, I usually say that, and I bet it comes off as youthful arrogance or the desire to have a big church. Please don’t misunderstand me: I have never wanted to run from the public eye as I have these last few years. I have no desire to be famous or to have “a big church.” But I believe with EVERYTHING inside me that there are all kinds of people that are hurting with nowhere to run. And I want to be someone who will offer them help…to invite them into a community of loving friends who are all striving to surrender more and more of our lives to God. And I want to surround myself with people that exhibit that same surrender. When I read through the gospels, I see Jesus CONSTANTLY reaching out to people that are at the end of their rope. And He doesn’t give a crap what anyone thinks about it when He gets down on the ground to comfort them and offer them healing and a road to true life. And that’s what inspires me most. We will probably be met with strong opposition as we move forward to offer help to the hurting and broken. More than ever, I am afraid that I won’t be able to stand up to that opposition. And more than ever, I am acquainted with my need to start my day in prayer, asking God to give me strength. I repeat: I have never believed in something so much in my life…we are here to be a part of something that truly changes the direction of peoples’ lives that are searching for the abundant life that Jesus offers!
6. I just got word that one of my best friends on this planet, Jared Clifton, is going to come visit me in November! That’s pretty freaking awesome and I can’t tell you how therapeutic that is for me! Big props to his awesome wife, Katie, for hooking that up!
7. Caden turned 3 this month! This picture pretty much sums up his personality. If you know Caden, you already knew that.
This post probably breaks every rule of blogging. That’s not lost on me. If nobody reads this, it still would have benefitted me for processing it all. Thanks for hanging with me! On with the adventure!
Soundtrack today:
Bethel – “No Longer Slaves”
Twenty One Pilots – “Goner”
Lowercase Noises – “This Is For Our Sins”
The Brilliance – “Yahweh”