“One major facet of the beauty of the local church is its power to transform the human heart…”
Something about last night provoked me to go re-read a few chapters about the beauty of the church in Hybel’s Courageous Leadership.
I was struck by its beauty, once again. The beauty of the Church. Last night I was at a surprise engagement party for two friends in our church and it was amazing to be there and sense the anticipation as we waited while Chris was proposing to Aimee and hung out and were family. And then to be a part of their first few moments as an engaged couple as they walked through the doors and saw all of us. We got to watch the engagement on tape because Chris, being the smart guy he is, brought the camera along which was nothing ordinary for Aimee. They were at Shooting Star trail and usually make funny videos out there, so she said she didn’t think anything of it.
The video didn’t have audio on it so Chris and others were reenacting what was said when and where and it was so adorable to watch the proposal and see her reaction. It was so beautiful to be there as a church family and support them in their next steps.
It was really good for me to be “home” if you will and surrounded by people I love and know love me.
The last four weeks, as I’ve started support raising, myself and a few others I’ve placed in authority in my life decided the best thing for me to be able to be faithful to this process would be to be away. I’m raising support mostly in the same place I grew up in which happens to be the same place the church I’m going on staff with is located and so we’ve gotten creative as to how to make this work. The separation was hard in the months I was preparing to be away and the grieving period, but now I’m seeing that the Lord put that on our hearts for a reason, it has helped me remember the mission I’m called to right now more fully and my desire to be back with my church family at the Rock increases as I visit other churches and communities. For the support raising period through these first few months, I’ve become a part of another church community and small group in town and most weekends I’m out of town visiting other churches.
I am so grateful that God has provided and is meeting my every need relationally in this process, by providing a community that allows me to grow and be a part of and love and new relationships with other women my age and older in community churches.
“Home is not where you first lived, but where you feel most alive.” - Garden State
I am reminded each time I do get to see some of the girls in our church or stop in at our church-wide Sunday dinners at the Drages this summer or nights like last night, that I am most alive there and the Rock is home. It’s a short-term loss, for a long-term gain. Being away was hard at first, but it is only temporary so I can be here more fully later. Seeing God provide a home away from home has been amazing but home is something you can never replace.
Along this journey, I’ve been so blessed by getting to see what God is doing in other parts of the state and our city. Last week I visited a church plant of The Journey in South County, St. Louis and left once again in awe of the mission and story of God and His people rising up to take their place in that. There is nothing more beautiful than a people of God united in one vision, to love and redeem this broken world. God is moving His people and advancing his kingdom in all of these unseen pockets… I’ve been really motivated to be on mission where I’m at, in this city, in our church, to be a part of what God is doing in and through our city and to see God use his people, his church to redeem. As Hybels says again and again in this book, "the local church is the hope of the world."
The church is broken and it is beautiful.
"The one thing we can offer that the world can’t is grace." - Philp Yancey
And that is our gospel…
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