Saying Goodbyes

Yesterday was our last Sunday to lead and participate in our Life Phase community, Marriage Matters, at Grace Chapel here in the Denver area. The time was truly emotional, difficult, and yet good. There is no easy way to say goodbye to friends, and the reality of leaving does not set in until one is actually faced with the real possibility of not seeing some of them for quite some time. We were blessed with a scrapbook of the various families in our community, each writing a short note of encouragement with a family photo for us to look at and remember as we officially transition to Texas. We were also blessed with many hugs and teary eyes that confirmed for me that, for a season, these friends were truly our extended family. For those we are leaving behind in Colorado, we deeply love you! Thank you for your enduring support!

Leaving Jerusalem

I am teaching this morning (yes, I am making a post on Sunday morning) in our Life Phase Community at church called Marriage Matters on the transition in scripture from the ministry of Jesus to the ministry of the apostles. This is mainly found throughout the book of Acts in the New Testament. The idea is to examine what things the early apostles did well and not so well. And they did act wisely in many respects: they appointed new leadership (Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot, seven were appointed to care for widows and others in their physical needs), they waited for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (which led to significant boldness and miracles), they keep in close fellowship and prayer (to the point that the walls of their meeting place shook), and they were careful to meet the needs of everyone in the community.

But what baffles me is the fact that they, for the most part, never left Jerusalem. This reality is clearly accentuated in Acts 8:1-3 despite the charge from Jesus in chapter 1 that the apostles were to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Did they not think that charge applied them personally? Where they experts at delegation?

I cannot help but to think that truthfully they struggled with the notion of the gospel message being for all nations and ethnicities. We get a glimpse of this struggle in Acts 11 in how the apostles and many disciples responded to Peter’s ministry in Ceasarea within the household of Cornelius (a Roman centurion). They simply did not like it; only after Peter explained his vision/trance did they comply. But was this exclusive sentiment completely eradicated? We get another glimpse of this struggle in Galatians 2, where Paul confronts Peter concerning the exact same issue: isolation and exclusiveness. Paul, whose passion was ministry to the Gentiles, confronts Peter to his face concerning this mindset and attitude.

The Hebrews never quite grasped the notion that through Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 22) Israel was intended to be a conduit of ministry to other nations. Scripture is clear, “…through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.” But the Jews wanted to keep the blessing and favor of God to themselves, with a strong sense of entitlement. They were, after all, the people of God. But they were the people of God with a purpose. And I would suggest that that purpose remains for Christians today: to be conduits of blessing and ministry to those outside the church. This idea is convicting for me…the need to develop a greater heart for the world, to hold ministry to unbelievers as a core value and conviction. How easy it is to build high walls (metaphorically) around the church and adopt a strict policy of preservation! But God cares more about transformation than preservation…

Friends for All Seasons

For most who would read this blog, you know that my family and I are embarking on a significant life change as we relocate from the Denver metro area to the bustling metropolis of Sweetwater, Texas. And by the nature of the transition and the closing of a significant season of my life (completing my seminary degree), I have been thinking a great deal about the other seasons of my life that I have come through: my high school days, life in college at Texas Tech University, my internship at Focus on the Family, and my year of teaching overseas in China. And what has struck me is that I have very little contact, if any at all, with people that I knew in each of those seasons. And I am wondering why that is the case. Is this normal for most people, namely that some relationships simply come to a natural close or ending? What should my expectations be of the friendships that I have now that I am about to leave?

What I am realizing, for myself, is that I have an intense desire to not repeat the pattern of previous seasons. I want to keep many of my current relationships active and fresh despite the difficultly of distance. I truly desire to stay in contact, to make trips back to the Denver area to see friends, and to have them come and visit us. This is with a full acknowledgement that for many here in Denver, Texas is Nineveh. Is this naïve, wishful thinking, or is this really possible?

Intentionality perhaps holds the answer…

Welcome to My Blog

Welcome to my first official posting on my very own blog. If I were completely truthful, I have had this blog setup for several weeks now, but the initial posting has been more than intimating. It has carried the weight of needing to be deeply profound and noteworthy, of a nature that leaves a lasting mark. But I have come to realize that all I can offer is who I am and the thoughts that cross my mind from day to day. Sometimes these thoughts may carry a significant element of truth that makes an impact; at other times they simply may be random (and humorous) experiences or realizations that strike me as worthy of mentioning. I am beginning this blog in an effort to put my life into words, to wrestle with difficult issues, to laugh a little, and to reflect and remember people and experiences. All who read are invited to join in…wrestle, laugh, reflect, and remember with me, and so partake of my life in some small way!