Saturday Reflections: A Different Kind of Progress

Saturday Reflections are an attempt to keep this blog personal, relational, and real.  These posts will be thoughts, a recounting of the week, and where I see things going in the weeks to come.  Join me and my family on our journey in Jesus.

I would be lying if I didn’t say that this week started out rough.  For a combination of reasons, I ended up deeply questioning myself and the things that the Lord has been doing.  It was a rough few days of me being locked into self pity, worry, and hurt.  In the midst of these couple of days I had a couple of incredible brothers that listened, encouraged, and shared the Gospel with me again. And while that helped, I still hadn’t quite found the resolution I was looking for.

If I’m honest, this rough spot has been coming for a while, brought on by some disconnect from the Lord in an ongoing way.  I just hadn’t been living connected to Jesus daily.  Sometimes it’s the basics that you think you know where you are the most vulnerable.  (Anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall, anyone?) And while I needed the Gospel, and I needed the listening, and I needed the encouragement, I really needed to meet with Jesus.

I can’t pinpoint an exact moment on Monday, but at some point the darkness broke. I had begun to take small steps to get reconnected with Jesus.  Just doing those small thing seems to have shed so much light on all the things covered in darkness.  The burnout goes away when Jesus becomes much more clear.  And in His light we see more light.

Since that time a lot has gone on.  We joined with believers in Cedar Rapids for a solemn assembly this week called the Response.  At some point I’ll write a bit about house churches, the future of Christianity, and the place of solemn assemblies, because they really will intersect in our future, but that’s for another time. But it was good to participate with the larger body of Christ in Cedar Rapids and it’s great practice in preparation for what the Lord is going to be doing in the near future.

We also dedicated Josh and Alyssa’s new apartment to Jesus with them.  It was really a blessing to be with these two. They are going to be a treasure to us as we step up the church planting going on here in our neighborhood.  Thursday we got a call from some friends in our house church who stumbled on a family and was able to come alongside and provide them some substantial physical help as well as pray and minister to them.  It seems like every day something new pops up that is showing us Jesus is leading and in control of this thing He started.

From my point of view I’ve noticed a couple of things.  It’s important for me to stay connected in to Jesus at a significant level.  I’m beginning to fight again for that in my every day life.  The more I stay connected, the more I see and honestly the more whole I am. Also, Jesus is serious about us embracing an apostolic, missional lifestyle that intersects with lost people who need Him.  And He is worth it.  And the more we encounter the grace of Jesus and the love that He has for us, the more willing we will be to embrace this apostolic lifestyle He’s called the whole church to.  It’s not external progress in numbers or conversions yet, but it’s a different kind of progress.  But if we can embrace it, we will see Jesus do amazing things.