We ate a nutritious dinner of fried seafood as we waited in the line for the ferry.
I found that I didn't really plan very well for this trip with my own clothing and was very cold all weekend! While Everett has warmed slightly to where our daytime highs are in the 50's or 60's, Whidbey Island is surrounded by water that is about 49 degrees! Any wind off of the water creates a natural air-conditioning effect, and it was WINDY all weekend. So I came home chilled to the bone and promptly got sick with a virus, which had me down for the count for the remainder of the week.
Happenings at EFC
Everett Family Church (EFC) continues to undergo a transformation. While our numbers are still small we continue to see an influx of people into the church. Each of them has a story and most are going through something that has deeply hurt them. Our church is different in that we don't paste a smile on and allow everyone to remain comfortably anonymous. Since we are small to begin with it is tough to be anonymous anyway, but when you have time to sit with someone and just talk, the doors open both ways. It allows the person to gradually open up and share their hurts and fears, and in turn they can hear about our own hurts and fears and realize that we are no different than they are.
Our worship-time structure gives us a lot of time to connect with people and find out what is going on. For example, after each worship and teaching time, we eat a meal together. This provides more than an hour to talk and really get to know the person. After that point it is much less awkward to get contact info from the person so that we can keep in touch for the week. I have thoroughly enjoyed these times because to me it has shown what can happen when we allow ourselves to be used in the lives of other people. This is a cruel world that has been shaped by the sin in all of our lives. Those wounds don't heal easily or quickly, and many who come through our doors are simply seeking to be heard and are desperately seeking God because they find themselves at the end of the rope. Fortunately our God can always be found at the end of any rope.
In our neighborhood we continue to be amazed at how many people we have been able to connect with. The boys have brought home numerous friends who don't have a lot of parental involvement, so we get a chance to invite them to dinner and spend time with them. It seems as though we weekly meet someone new who either lives on our street or within a block or two. This neighborhood is quite alive and active and we see people who do look out for each other as neighbors. On the flip side we see many people who don't know Jesus or who have fallen away from church completely. Many we talk to have attended various churches in the past but don't currently attend anywhere. Still others can rattle off a list of denominations and faiths that they have participated in recently in an effort to fill the spiritual void in their life. This neighborhood is absolutely ripe with potential and is full of seekers. So what are we supposed to do?
Amanda and I talk about our plans a lot now, but we still don't really have a plan. We both strongly believe we know who we are supposed to minister to in this city. We have always found a closer affinity for those who are at low points in life; those who are poor or nursing past hurts. Those who have nothing are definitely more open to the Gospel than those who have everything. And it is often the poor in resources or the poor in spirit who are neglected by our society and our churches. It is no different than it was 2,000 years ago when Jesus said this:
Luke 14
16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’
21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”
Here, like in Texas, there are legions of people who need nothing and desire nothing of Jesus. Their vast finances prevent them from seeing their spiritual need, and therefore they often go about their lives “buying fields and oxen” just like the people in the parable, substituting the perishable for the imperishable. Their hearts are hard and they have turned away from the Lord as either unnecessary for their lives or something that they can attend to later. But later never comes for most of them. While we will talk to anyone about Jesus, we don’t feel called to actively pursue individuals like these and start a church for them. Instead, we will pursue the “poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.”
We are hesitant to go charging off into the great unknown, especially since the Lord hasn't made clear that we are supposed to do that yet. We can see that a church plant is needed here in our area, and we can see quite a variety of people that could come to know Jesus here. But as the Word says, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." To this point we just don't have any other individuals who would partner with us to do this significant work. And it is there that you see the great problem facing churches in the Northwest. Of the ones that exist here, usually a very few people are doing all of the work. EFC is a great example of that. Before we came here Mike and his family were doing literally everything each Saturday. This includes setup, lesson preparation, food preparation, worship music, lighting and sound, teaching, cleanup, and discipleship of church members. We have now formed a great partnership with them and more of the load is being shared, but without this, and even sometimes with it, we all get tired! It is tremendous work each and every week to engage with others from the church. No matter what the Lord would have us do in the next few years, we know that we simply cannot do it alone. To attempt something like that would be a recipe for ultimate burnout and disaster.
We are looking for partners who will go on this journey with us. There are no wages for the work here other than the Lord's approval and blessing, which are both significant. There is no recognition or status associated with it as this type of work isn't valued by the world at large. There are no opportunities for advancement, defined work hours, or special benefits. Instead, the thing that will keep all of us going is the Lord's movement ahead of us, and being involved in His plan each and every day. That alone has to be enough for us. Jesus Himself must be all that we need and desire. Apart from Him we can do absolutely nothing of consequence.
Is it possible that the Lord would call you to the Northwest for His name's sake? Could you transplant your entire family and life to come to an unknown place? Would you be willing to lay everything in your life aside to teach others about Jesus and show them how to find Him? The need is here, and the consequences for your response to these questions are eternal. On the other hand, perhaps you aren't called to the Northwest. Are you called to be somewhere else?
Be brave enough to ask the Lord what He would have you do!
No comments:
Post a Comment