Our Why...

i recently watched this TEDx talk and it solidified and deepened so much of my vision for who we are and what we do at campus house.  check out the video for yourself (you will not regret it)...and below it, are some of my reactionary thoughts.

 How Great Leaders Inspire Action


OUR WHY:
It is our vision.  "A Jesus community helping students find their way back to God."  Which is based in the fact that we believe God created a perfect existence, we call Shalom, and placed us as humans, in it.  But Genesis 3 happened, and when it happened, it changed everything.  And Genesis 3 still happens.  The rest of the Story of God, the Bible, is a repeating and continual attempt by God to put His people, His family back together...to restore Shalom...for life to be the way it was intended to be.  And the story is not over...it is not complete...it is still going on today. 

The pathway for this restoration IS complete...that happened when Jesus said, "It is finished"...and followed those words by conquering death.  But we as individuals, as a community and as a world find ourselves in the midst of this process of needing to, and finding our way back to Shalom.  Therefore, church and it's other representations, are not about a place we go or a time we sector off in order to make our lives feel right...feel like Shalom.  It is not about landing us in a better place someday...a place we call heaven.  It is not about a list of do's and don'ts in order to create good people.  It is about journeying back to Shalom, individually and as a community...which is an every moment, all of life...thing.  We exist as a ministry because we believe the world is broken, and that we are broken...not the way it was intended to be and we believe that by doing what we do, we are on a journey and leading others into a journey towards experiencing and restoring Shalom, through what God has done and continues to do.


OUR HOW:
It is through our values.  Belonging. Story. Restoration. Revolution. Creativity. They must guide both what we do and DO NOT DO through the heartbeat of our why.


OUR WHAT:
There are undoubtedly other ways to see our why lived out, but we choose to live it out in a few specific ways.  Weekly worship (we call DIG).  Small groups (we call them Community Groups).  GROW Trips (mission and spiritual development trips).  Service.  Community Events.

Transition...So What's Next...

a little less than a week ago, my wife and i had our first child.

in the birth process, there is a stage called transition. basically it is the home stretch. everything changes for the woman...and in a relatively short amount of time, everything is going to be different...a new baby will enter this world.

for my wife, it was the moment she fairly calmly turned, looked at me, and said, "She's coming." to which i said, "What exactly do you mean."(i was the only one in the room at the time, and if it meant what i thought it meant...it was time for me to do something) And then, in less than 10 minutes, my wife was holding our brand new baby girl in her arms. (and don't worry...i was able to get the midwife...i did not deliver the baby myself)

in some ways, i feel like this idea of "transition" is very analogous to what is taking place at campus house right now.

our women's minister, who is finishing her 8th year on staff, is moving on at the end of this year. it is tough to see her go...and yet it is very right...God has called her and her family to a different place...a place where they can minister as a team and i believe that is absolutely where they need to be.

however, it leaves us, as a ministry in a time of transition...whether we like it or not.

i know that times like this often birth some of the best growing times and lead to places that we have never even dreamed of being.

and yet, i must admit, there is a part of me that wishes we could just continue the way things have been...keep the status quo...not have to think about what is next. which leads to my other temptation...to just pretend like things are not changing and more or less adopt an ignorance is bliss mentality (although, as much as i may like to be, i am not ignorant in this case).

so...i know neither of those approaches are right and i am trying my very best to push ahead and guide our ministry to the next right place. but honestly, it is tough to know what that place is right now. i have my thoughts and my ideas...others have their thoughts and their ideas...how do we decide which are God's thoughts and God's ideas? i know above all else that i want God's direction for this step.

which makes me think about how the story of God is littered with stories of God working in ways that were unimaginable and beyond anyone's wildest dreams. stories of people or armies, defeating people or armies, they had no business fighting, let alone beating. stories of people who were elevated to positions they logically should not have gotten and seemed completely unqualified for. stories of God working in, through, and around people to do things for which there simply is not a YouTube "how to" video. stories where greatness only comes through unprecedented work and toughness. stories where the key ingredient is a long obedience in the same direction...and where God shows up to do more than we could ever ask or imagine.

so what do i take from all of this...

what i know: we are in a time of transition...in a matter of months, things will look different...like it or not.

what it don't know: what the right next step is...what our staff will look like a few months from now.

what i want to cling to: much like the feeling that comes after transition at the end of a long and grueling birth process...God is in the business of delivering more than we can even begin to wrap our minds around...even in our best, most inspired vision casting sessions.


if this turns out even a fraction of how great my daughter did, then i am excited...and i know it will be great in the end.