Well, not quite around the world, though it certainly felt like it. From NYC (Brooklyn Tabernacle visit for a prayer conference) to Dallas, TX (college ministry learning community) to PA Furnace (CityServe), it was a whirlwind of learning, growing, and experiencing God. There were some incredible AHA! moments; there were some jaw-clenching, gnashing of teeth moments. I got to hang out with some city-church folks, a few staffers from Calvary, and one of history’s most resplendent lifegroups.
We were treated to some simple ministry philosophy by Jim Cymbala at the Brooklyn Tab. He shared things like:
The first calling of anyone–pastor or not–is to be with Jesus. That’s priority. That can’t be missed.
What’s our target demographic at Brooklyn Tab? Anyone who walks by the church.
What’s our strategy? We pray. God speaks. God moves. We respond.
Not in conflict with that approach, but decidedly different was my time in Dallas. We got to hang with some of the leading collegiate ministry minds in the country, discussing best practices, learning from each other, and refining our priorities and goals. We heard from other pastors/campus ministers who are experts in their field, sharing their stories and challenging us to reach PSU with the gospel.
And this past weekend, folks from all over calvary took to the highways and byways, tools in hand, hearts wide-open. We cancelled our weekend worship gatherings and went out into the community to serve. This year we were able to connect with more individuals/families than any year before. That means that we got to have conversations, to pray with folks, to build relationships. Our lifegroup repaired a fence, roofed a shed, painted the inside of a house, repaired a hole in the ceiling, and cut/stacked a ton of firewood. We were all sore (except the young punk PSU students!) but felt great!
But do you know what the highlight of my week was? Coming home.
I missed my family something fierce. I only got a couple of pictures of what they looked like, but I missed these faces. They’re all unique, all different, all special in the own way…and they’re all mine!
0 Comments