Chazown: Part One

One year ago, I packed, loaded, squished, shoved, and finagled, all of my belongings into the back of a trailer (ok, ok, ok, so it didn’t all fit the first go-round and my amazing father had to make TWO trips to Olathe for me…), and began an adventure I will never forget. I was given the amazing privilege of moving to Olathe, KS to participate in a church plant with two of the best friends I’ve ever had. And while I was incredibly sad to leave my family and a church I had come to love, I found myself blogging these words:

I know that God has something huge planned for me. I know that this move will prove to be one of the best and most amazing decisions and adventures that I have ever been on. I trust in the promise of God that says that all things will work out for the good for those who love the Lord. I believe with all my heart that God has great plans for 33 Church, and I, for one, cannot wait to see what happens with all of this.

As I look back over the past year, I am delighted to see that God has kept His promise and that my move to Olathe was definitely one of the best and most amazing decisions I have ever made. I have been in the process of learning what it means to trust God and follow after Him. Those lessons, as I’m sure most of you know, are not easy lessons to learn. You don’t just wake up one day and magically have the ability to blindly trust or the desire to follow someone (even God) through anything. I have spent the majority of my time in Olathe learning these two lessons. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything because I know that I am a better, stronger, more solid follower of Christ because of this past year.

A few months ago, I began to take a good, hard look at what I was doing and what I was going to be doing. I began to try to figure out what these lessons were all about. I was struggling—struggling to be happy, struggling to be joyful, struggling to worship, struggling to lead others in worship, struggling to reach out, and struggling to believe that I was in the right place. I was working three jobs—each of them demanding (and rightfully expecting) my full effort every time I walked through their doors. I was so overwhelmed with life that I didn’t know how to continue. So I decided to take a mini one-day retreat to the mountains of Grandview, MO to do some hiking and reading and talking with Jesus. That was the best decision I had made in a long time. The second best decision was to stop by the Christian bookstore and pick up the book Chazown by Craig Groeschel. I started off my hike with a desperate cry for help, “God, please, please, please, please….speak to me. I can’t hear you these days. Please speak to me!” Once again God answered my prayer and kept His promise to never leave me and kept His promise that if I sought Him, He would be found by me.

I won’t go into the very depths of the book or the conversation that I had with Jesus as I walked along those paths, but what I am writing to share with you today is this: My Jesus loves me, and He spoke me into being for a purpose, and it is my job to trust in that purpose and follow Him as He leads me in accomplishing that purpose. As I read that book and talked to Jesus, I came to the understanding that what I was doing here to help this amazing church that is being planted in Olathe was not really what I was created to do. I know that to some of you that might sound trite, or like a cop-out answer, but I promise you, I do not believe that it is either trite or a cop-out. My time here in Olathe has been hard, but up to that day, I had been determined to stick it out and try to make it work.

I decided that I needed to break this all down into two questions: Do I feel that I can accomplish God’s purpose for me to the fullest in my current context, aka this church plant? If so, then how do I make it work? And if not, then what do I need to be doing and where? (I know it looks like three questions, but it’s not; I promise!)

(For the sake of your time and blogging etiquette, I will address the first question in this blog and tackle the second question in my next blog.)

The answer to the first question was a sad and painful, no. This church that I have been privileged to be a part of for the past year is amazing. The vision is astounding and the passion behind it is awe-inspiring. I have never wanted to make something work and have never wanted to be a part of something like I have with this church. Not to mention the fact that the people who are leading this church are two of my very best friends. I have loved getting to know this church, which after only two months of meeting on a weekly basis has already become like a family. I know that if I were to stay, I would fall even more in love with the people of this church.

This church is going to do amazing things in the Olathe area. This church is going to do amazing things in the state of Kansas. This church is going to do amazing things in the world. I believe this church will change the world. I believe those things because I personally know the man whose passion and vision started it all. And that man will lead this church in an all out pursuit of Jesus and an all out blitz to share the story of that pursuit with anyone with whom they come in contact.

However, I feel that my gifts and passions and abilities are not beneficial to this church and to continue in my current position with this church will only lead to more frustration for me and for the vision of the church. I want this church to have every advantage it can in its pursuit of Jesus and the telling of that amazing pursuit, and I believe that there is someone out there who will be a huge asset to this church and to its vision. Someone who will wake up every morning with a passion to do all the things that need to be done to make this church everything it can be and should be. And while I wish that person was me, I have come to the realization that I do not have what is needed to make all of that happen.

As I bring this first blog to a close, I would ask my readers (surely there are at least two of you by now, right?) to join me as I pray for blessing on this church and as I pray for the next person that will join the church team in a leadership role. I know that God has big plans for this church plant, and I cannot wait to see all that He will do.

To be continued.....

Pete and Repeat.....

You remember the joke from your childhood, right?

Person 1: Pete and Repeat were sitting in a boat. Pete fell out; who was left?
Person 2: Repeat.
Person 1: Pete and Repeat were sitting in a boat. Pete fell out; who was left?
Person 2: Uh....not Pete?
Person 1: What was his name?
Person 2: (sigh) Repeat....
Person 1: Pete and Repeat......

And so it continues. Person 1 cracking up at every repeat and Person 2 doing everything in their creative power not to say "Repeat" again.

I've been reading through the Psalms this summer and have noticed something very interesting. See, over and over the writers of these psalms use the words gracious, compassionate, righteous, faithful, stronghold, and other amazing words to describe God. It's like God is Person 1. He is sharing His feelings, His love, His compassion, His character with me, laughing out of pure giddiness and excitement. And I read these words and I feel like Person 2, trying everything I can to use any response to the statement other than what He wants. I sigh and think, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ok. Whatever. I know you love me...okie dokie, God."

One thing that is different between the joke of my childhood and God is that eventually Person 1 gets tired and Person 2 gets tired and the joke runs out of steam. But God never does. He never runs out of steam. He just keeps telling me. He keeps repeating the same lines over and over again, hoping for that response.

John 8:31-32 says, "...Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

It's amazing to me how true that statement is. I have found that the more I hold to His teachings and the more I try to look like Jesus, the more real His unfailing love becomes, the more real His compassion becomes, the more real His grace becomes. And the more I accept His love, His compassion, His grace and all the other things He repeats to me every day, the more free I become.

So, Pete and Repeat were sitting in a boat. Pete fell out; who was left?

What if the Church? Part 2

Ok, so I am not exactly sure how many people helped out with this campaign in the end, but what I do know is that God showed up, people were blessed, and Light was shone in this city. It was really amazing to see people from different churches working together to be the Church.

We were at True Light Resource Center. We worked on a house that they are fixing up for the purpose of helping women get back on their feet. I am not exactly sure what all that means in details, but I do know that God is going to do some amazing things through them! That Miss Alice was something else!

There were upwards of 30 people doing various jobs from scraping paint, ripping out grass to make flower beds, building a deck, stocking a pantry, and other things that I am sure I had no idea were happening!

Sara and I spend most of the morning stocking the pantry. We were given this tub full of canned goods and asked to put them in the pantry. Well, we walked in, and since we are who we are....we totally gutted the thing and started from scratch and reorganized. Not sure if that is what they wanted....but......we couldn't help ourselves! It's just who we are!

Ryan and the kiddos carried boards for the new deck, ripped out grass for the pretty new flowers and scraped paint on the porch to get it ready for the people who were painting it to make it pretty!

Thank you, Jesus, for everyone that helped out last weekend. I pray that God's name was preached through our actions and our speech. I pray that people were blessed and that they saw Jesus.

What if the Church?

33 Church has an amazing opportunity to be a part of something on May 1st called "What if the Church?" This is the purpose of the event: Why What If? We deeply believe that when Jesus sees His Church in Kansas City, He does not see a thousand different churches, but He sees one Church with a thousand different styles, sizes, colors, and shapes all striving for the common purpose of making Him famous in this city through love.

So, what if the Church actually acted like the Church? We would serve. I love it.

33 Church is joining forces with over 4000 other Christians in the KC area, and we are going to serve. We are going to do what James tells us to do and serve widows and orphans. We are going to feed people. We are going to fix their businesses. We are going to paint. We are going to landscape. We are going to fix ball fields so kids have a place to play. We are going to sort clothes so that families have an organized place to come find clothes to clothe their children. We are going to stock shelves so that soup kitchens have food to serve. We are going to serve. Which means, that we are going to love, and we are going to be the Bride of Christ.

33 Church is going to be helping at a place called Pure Light Resource Center. We will be scraping and painting, doing some landscaping, some minor construction and even some electrical work. I am excited. I love to serve for Jesus. I love to get my hands dirty and do something that will so that I love mercy, act justly and that I strive to walk humbly with my God (Micah).

I pray that the people we serve will see Jesus in us, and I pray that we will love with the love of Jesus. So come on, KC! What if the church? Well, let's find out together on May 1st!

Grateful....

I am grateful! I am grateful for the things that God has given me. This week, I am grateful for the people that he has placed in my life that challenge me and love me and smack me upside the head while giving me a hug. You just can't beat friends that will look you dead in the face and say, "Seriously....what is your problem? Get over it." And in the next moment give you a hug and tell you they love you.

I do love that kind of love. It is fantastic. :)

Thank you, Jesus, for friends who are patient and kind. Thank you for friends that don't envy or boast. Friends that are not proud or rude. Thank you for friends that don't do things just for themselves but instead think of others first. Thank you SOOOO much for friends who are more than capable of keeping their cool even when I am exploding. Thank you for friends that forgive when they have no real reason to....other than love. Jesus, thank you for friends that despise evil and do everything they can to help me get rid of it in my life and allow me the honor to help them get rid of it in their lives. Thank you that these friends of mine keep your Truth first and foremost in their lives so that I have amazing examples to follow. God, I am so thankful that you have surrounded me with people who protect me and stand by me forever. I am thankful that they have Your Truth in them so that I know they deserve my trust. I am thankful that because we are friends in You, we have a hope that stands the test of time. I am thankful that my friendships will persevere through anything.

Thank you, God, for friends like these!

Amen

Change of Heart

It is amazing to me how quickly we change our minds. And it is interesting to me what causes us to change our minds. I mean, we could be totally sold out on a fact or a plan or whatever, and in what seems like a skip of a heartbeat, we are making new plans and heading in a new direction and believing new things.

Take the book of Acts for instance. Just a few "pages" before this wonderful book that records the Acts of the new Church, the disciples are hiding in homes and running away from gardens and denying the man they had been following. Then they get some visits, they get some words of encouragement, they receive a gift, and all of a sudden, they are the most devout, strong, loving, forgiving, miracle showing people you've ever heard of!

And what changed? Yes, their circumstances changed. Yes, their location changed. Yes, their rabbi changed. But what changed? Their hearts. Is that too simple? Can it be that easy? Can it just be so simple as to have a change of heart? It appears to me that that is just what happened. They lived, they saw, they believed, they changed. But what I love about that change is that it did not just change their hearts; it changed their whole lives. It changed their actions.

I heard a sermon this weekend about balancing your actions with the grace you've received. Balancing your life with your calling. What does that look like? What does it look like to have a life that is in balance with the calling you have received? What does it mean to have a change of heart?

Today, this blog is not a blog of answers. It is a blog of questions. I would love to hear what you have to say about this. What does it look like? Share a time when your life was in balance. What does it mean?

Good times were had by all....

I was able to go back to Iowa this past weekend to celebrate Easter with my family. That was delightful! I love being around my family. My parents keep me chuckling almost all weekend with their random stories and crazy antics. I was able to sing with my mom, which rocked my socks off! i was able to eat some GOOOOOOD chocolate with my padre. I got to shoot things on the Wii with my brother and his wonderful girlfriend. My mom's folks came up so we got to have dinner with them on Sunday night. It was, all in all, a great weekend with my family!

Then I got to spend Monday with a fabulouso friend. We just got to hang out and talk and cry and laugh and eat food and some more yummy chocolate. It was a great Monday. A sad one, because I could only stay for part of the day, but a great Monday nonetheless.

As I was reading Acts over the weekend and thinking about how stinkin' awesome the first church was, I was struck by just how grateful I am for the things that God has given me. I know that generally we spend time in November being thankful for things, but I found myself just reciting to God all the ways that He has continually blessed me over the years. I know that I am still struggling with seeing His plan for me right now, as I still have been unsuccessful in landing a job, but I know that in the midst of all of that, He has granted me with people that are willing to sign checks over to me and throw money in my car as I am driving away. I know that things are not always going to look like what I want them to look like or what I think they are going to look like, but through it all....man, through it all, God is faithful!

"Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be."

Thank you, Jesus.