I’ll be honest with you –
recently I’ve been pondering whether or not this life that we’re living is
worth it. Our previous life in a congregational setting was much simpler, more
predictable, and more comfortable. In other words, our previous life was
easier. I didn’t work 40 hours per week at one job and then 30+ hours per week
on ministry stuff for Genesis. I didn’t have to work on building something out
of nothing. I didn’t have to worry if my family would literally be the only
ones to show up on a Sunday morning. I didn’t have to beg and plead with God,
asking him to allow someone, anyone to listen to us and our sharing of the
Gospel.
This is a hard life. But I don’t
write this to gain sympathy or “look heroic.” I simply share the reality of the
life to which God has called us. And we completely believe God has called us to
this life. Yet, in the midst of this life, God will remind us of the incredible
opportunities that He’s opening up to us to be lights in the midst of extreme
darkness. Friday was one of those days.
- At work I was able to share with my bosses some details about what’s going on with the church, especially my new work with the police department as a chaplain, which elicited an “intrigued” response.
- During my 30-minute lunch break, I met with Holly from Prison Fellowship. She shared with me how to become an Angel Tree Church and work with the children of the incarcerated. (We’ve already signed-up and I can’t encourage you and your church enough to sign up as well, if you haven’t already). She also shared with me how the ladies of the Community can experience ministry to women in prison.
- After work, I met with a young lady who is very urban and very spiritual, but is all over the place in regards to what that spirituality means. Yet she has come to value my Christ-centered counsel and is looking for ways to get connected to the Community.
- After that meeting, I had dinner with a man who spent many years in prison. During his time there he became a believer. But right now his life is very challenging and he is searching for Gospel-centered answers in the midst of the storm.
Yes, this life is hard. But it is
also the most rewarding life that I’ve ever lived and I wouldn’t change any of
it. If you’re feeling the pull, in some way, to jump into the deep end and
surround yourself with the lost, broken, hurting, outcast, and forgotten,
realize that it will be exhausting in every way – physically, emotionally, and
spiritually. But also realize that you will see the truths of God’s Word in
your life and the lives of others in ways you may have never seen before.
Likewise, you will have a deep, thick, and rich satisfaction with life as you live
as “children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and
twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast
to the word of life.” (Philippians 2:15-16)
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