Open Again

I've been wanting to post on here again for a while, but haven't felt like I had much to write. I don't really know if anyone will still read this. Either way, it might be therapeutic for me.

I'm in Minnesota right now for seminary. It's always good to be out here because I get away from work for a while and am able to really focus on school. I also like being with the guys I'm with in class and at the hotel--it's good to process learning in community. But, it's also hard being gone from the girls for so long. I miss them like crazy.

Anyway, I think the last time I posted on here we had just returned from North Carolina after taking a weekend away to really pray about church planting and our future. That was over a month ago. I think I've been kind of frustrated since then... frustrated at God somewhat for not making it obviously clear what lies ahead and frustrated that I can't figure it out. I understand his timing is perfect and am trying to surrender all that, but it is difficult at times.

Tonight I went to John Piper's church. Here's a picture:


Being at his church is pretty unique. I know John Piper from his books, the Passion conference, and other things like that. He's a phenomenal teacher--very passionate and very deep. But his church is like stepping into a timewarp. To be honest, it's really a pretty frustrating experience. Like many of our churches, it is not very welcoming at all, and I would feel really uncomfortable there if I wasn't a Christian. But I think it goes deeper than that...

After the service tonight I talked with some of the guys from my class. What I said was that I think I could cease going to large, corporate church services and be perfectly content. The house church model, to me, with a group of people that I love and relate to in community, seems much more fulfilling. I really don't know what to do with that. (I say that a lot on this blog.)

I'm not sure where things will head, but I think that for those of us thinking this way we have to get courageous enough to take some of these jumps. The jumps may mean stepping out of traditions in order to be intentional in the untraditional, smaller community settings. I don't know. Any thoughts?

2 comments:

  Chip

October 27, 2008 at 2:51 PM

You've got at least 1 reader. Keep it up man.

  Anonymous

November 8, 2008 at 2:16 PM

two... just delayed a little bit... I like to do my readings in bulk.