One Sunday morning in Duckland all the ducks dutifully came to church, waddling through the doors and down the aisles to their pews where they comfortably squatted.
When all were situated and the hymns were sung, the duck minister waddled to his pulpit, opened the Duck Bible and read: "Ducks! Ye have wings, and with wings ye can fly like eagles. Ye canst soar into the sky! Use thy wings!"
It was a marvellous, elevating duck scripture, and thus all the ducks quacked their approval with a hearty A-MEN!
And then they plopped down from their pews and waddled home.
This month, Kayle and I have been surrounded by exciting things happening in our church and fruitful personal ministry. Our campus raised nearly all the money (about $1.1 million!) for a new building in downtown Bellevue. This was a challenge for our church, since we have a lot of new and young believers who are still growing in generosity. It was a challenge for a lot of older/more mature believers too, because it seems difficult for a rich person to truly understand financial sacrifice. Sometimes I feel like the rich man who, when Jesus told him to sell everything and follow him, instead went away sad because he had great wealth. Perhaps, he could name a few luxuries that he really didn't want to give up. I pray that I do not hold onto my comforts so tightly that I miss opportunities to serve and bless others.
We also have been inspired by several missionaries this month. Jenny Razey, our friend from Bellevue, just came back from a year of teaching at an international school in Sudan. It is encouraging to hear her stories of sharing her faith, sacrificing comforts, fighting spiritual warfare, and making Muslim friends in a country plagued by heat, tribal divisions, and instability. And, through it all, God has been faithful and powerful in her ministry. She is currently raising money to go back for another year, get accredited in Africa, and possibly stay and teach in the country long-term. For more stories: Jenny's Journeys blog
Rachel's sister and her husband, missionary teachers in Romania, came to speak to our CG about their adventures in Bucarest. Their hearts go out to a country left with scars of distrust from neighbors betraying neighbors in the recent Communist past. They teach in a K-12 Christian school for missionary kids, business leaders, and locals.
Finally, a couple from our our CG, Nick and Jessi Connolly, are moving to Boston to plant a church along with their 3 kids, ages 3 and under! Watching them plan and pack up their things in faith has been amazing. God has provided them with a church to partner with, a job to supplement their income in the early years, and a great training program with Acts 29 and Re:Train. They are trusting God to raise some large figures to cover the first few years and are truly flying instead of waddling. Gospel Community church plant
Meanwhile, Kayle and I have been busy with our own ministries. Kayle is still serving in the tech booth, arranging the schedule and running the lights. There is rarely a week when we come to church and someone doesn't run up and tell him about some sort of technical issue. I'm been busy with youth group and teaching Sunday school. About half of my youth group girls are involved with "Serve the City" this week. Basically, they spend the first part of the day doing free yardwork and chores scheduled by going door to door in neighborhoods near church. In the afternoon, some keep doing yardwork while others lead a 5 day afternoon VBS. I've been going after work to help out for a few hours before everyone retires to a church member's home for rest, games, and a Bible study at night.
Our group is also preparing for a car wash to raise money for a local homeless shelter that moves around to different churches on the Eastside (Tent City 4). We are serving two meals there in the next 2 months, which our church is supplying with Micromission funds (money set aside by Mars Hill for community groups doing service projects). We are hoping (and praying!) to match or exceed that amount, using the money to buy much-needed hygiene supplies, cleaning supplies, and bus tickets for the camp. It's a big project and involves lots of phone calls to potential business sponsors! Phew...
Finally, Kayle and I have been trying much harder lately to meet our neighbors. We passed out invitations for a board game night to 3 buildings in our condo complex. An Indian couple, a single guy from Brazil, and another Brazilian friend came to our house last Friday. We had a wonderful time, talking, laughing, and playing Wits and Wagers. We are excited to get together again to play Settlers of Catan and possibly have a BBQ in the near future (TBD). Several other neighbors who couldn't come have also expressed their gratitude and desire to hang out with us sometime, and we have a dinner date next week with a lovely 88 year-old neighbor named Katie. It was also encouraging to hear people reiterate how much they enjoyed and were surprised by the cookies we passed out a few months ago. Apparently, one neighbor had a visiting brother who couldn't stop talking about it and then went home and told his family about the random neighbor who blessed them with cookies. So strange and delightful what God can do with a few dozen chocolate chip cookies!!
Overall, the sermon, about Jesus feeding 5000 men, really got me thinking this week about whether I act like I believe that God is able to do "more than all I ask or imagine." Most of the time, I feel like I do a lot of planning and praying to "waddle" better. I want to fly in faith in all areas of my life, so that, in everything I do, God is glorified and I can marvel at His grace and power. Watch this sermon...seriously. It has a really cool testimony at the beginning! :)
Feeding 5000 Men- Pastor Bill Clem
I'm going to close this random, rambling blog post with a song that was one of my favorites in youth group and a prayer that has been on my heart lately.
I don't wanna be, I don't wanna be, a casual Christian
I don't wanna live, I don't wanna live, a lukewarm life
'Cause I want to light up the night
With an everlasting light
I don't want to live a casual Christian life.
No comments:
Post a Comment