the formation of a family of faith in Tallahassee
Over the last few years it has become apparent to us that there is more to this life of hope than just attending a church building on any given Sunday. Not to discredit the fact that despite our miserable attempts to “do church” the One who is Truth seems to redeem our acts of service and worship in any given setting. In our journey over the last 18 months, we have experienced a variety of seasons, extreme pain (leaving the Intuitional Church & enduring the after effects of a SUV roll over accident involving our entire family), acknowledging our wounds (admitting the self inflected wounds as well as those from our friends and family), a healing time (being willing to forgive others and ourselves and to move towards re-entering the larger community of faith).
By no means does this mean that we have it all figured out, far from it. What it does mean is that we are passionate about what it means to Love God with all of our being and to love others in the same way that we love ourselves. We sense that we have been brought through these various seasons for a reason. One is to connect with our ancient fathers of the faith who experienced the painful departure of what they knew as home, deal with their own inner demons, and then make the turn towards a life of giving hope to others who are afraid to step into real life. Two is that we are meant to be connected with people who are searching for a real expression of faith that is not dependant upon one fixed headquarters but that is good news goes where ever we go.
It is at this juncture that we find ourselves today. It seems the next step is to ask the One who gathers together those who wander in order that we might be brought together in his expression of faith in this community of Tallahassee.
May you the Creator of all things bring about the formation of a family of hope. Let not our eyes be blinded or jaded by the outward appearance of our new brothers and sisters. Rather give us the eyes of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to see your hands at work in the hearts of our fellow man. Come with haste lest we grow weary in the journey. May our divine mission be as was yours: to bind up the broken hearted as you have bound us, to proclaim liberty as you have liberated us, to open the prison doors of despair as you have release us, and as we go about our day may the good news about what the LORD has done for us be on our lips. Thank you for hearing our prayers for you are the Faithful One. Amen.
7 comments:
man have we come a long way. :)
p.s. i forgot to tell you that i love it when you post your artwork.... your gift is amazing.
Michael -
With a couple of exceptions / substitutions (sickness instead of an SUV rollover, and two couples who have stayed close and grown closer during this time), I could have written the same thing verbatim. You very eloquently expressed it, and I appreciate it very much. The artwork is also awesome.
God bless you all...
Jeff
Oh, and two more substitutions as well - Chattanooga instead of Tallahassee, and we aren't really looking for any kind of thingy to come together - just enjoying the deep relationships as they are growing even deeper. Our experience has been that smaller, closer, more intimate gatherings have been so much richer and more impacting to our lives. We spent so much time in so many settings where we were surrounded by people but pretty much alone and lonely. It's just cool to have a handful of really deep, close and transparent relationships. They are a safe place for us, and we for them. Anyway, I haven't completely given up on the hope of ever being a part of a larger gathering regularly again, but I'm pretty close to there...
We appreciate you guys so much, and are so glad we met you online. Perhaps someday we can meet in person, if the Lord wills.
Jeff
I feel honored to be allowed to read the inner thoughts and deep experiences that you are writing about. Isn't it amazing to see how much good came out of the pain of disillusionment? Imagine if you and your family had cointinued to play the shallow church game throughout your entire lives. So many others have done just that. God obviously has something better planned for you. You are a dynamic leader and visionary. This week I met in a small prayer group with other information technology folks in Colorado Springs (part of New Life Church small groups) to discuss the topic, "What does spirit-led technology look like?" After listening to alot of rambling and guestimation, it occurred to me that you and the zoo crew are definitely headed in the right direction. It's amazing the dept and beauty of what you have created in such a short time. Each of the God-given gifts of the zoo members is very clear to see...the encouragers, the visionaries, the compassionate, the eager learners. I'm learning so much from all of you. Thanks for doing what you do. I pray God's richest blessings on all your efforts.
Colorado Wanderer
Darla - Yes this is one amazing journey.
Jeff - I too am coming around to the idea that the more real I am with others then maybe they will be comfortable to share their life in return. I think this is a good picture of the movement at work.
Wanderer - Thanks for the comments, The Master Artist has given us great talents. The question is will we give them back to him for his use in his way to whomever he chooses? I really want to make that jump!
Beautiful artwork my friend. Both in the drawing you did, and the work of art God is making of you and Darla. I'm diggin' it!
Rob
Post a Comment