collaboration

life has been a little bit of a whirlwind the last few weeks. i have been on a forced blog hiatus, not self imposed like ben and alex. but i'm back!!

anyways, john wrote a lot about our meeting last night with Mary Glenn from Kingdom Causes, so i won't repeat. but i wanted to add some thoughts about it too.

we always talk about being committed to our communities, but i am challenged as to if i'm really down to do what it takes. there is a pressing need for our youth right now. what am i willing to do about it?

mary used to be a youth pastor on staff at true light and now has basically been released (in a good way, not the bad way) to team build and make things happen in the city of alhambra. she has taken her commitment to a whole other level, and i think that alhambra will be a better city because of it.

sometimes even the churches need someone who will pave the way to collaboration. after all, we are all on the same ship going in the same direction. but sometimes we don't work together very well. i believe that this is a detriment to the overall cause of the Kingdom of God.

i am excited to see what the whole believing church of alhambra can do if we work together. no more solo ventures. forget about denominational politics. throw numeric counts to the wayside. we have work to do. the time will come (hopefully sooner than later) when all of us will need to put up or shut up.

years ago, we used to joke about how "there's plenty of time to sleep when we're dead". it was usually used on someone who wanted to go to bed instead of playing that last game of Risk. but now, i think about that in context of life. someday, i am going to die. and what am i going to say to god? i am not concerned with my salvation, i know that jesus has me covered there. but i want to stand before god proud of my efforts. i want to stand before god and have him feel the same way about me.

i know that god put my family in alhambra. the addition to our house is proof that we plan to stay. but i want to be a part of my community. not in the way of the wierd old guy that goes to all of the council meetings for public comment. not like that. i mean having positive impact on people, explaining to people about jesus and how he offers hope. i mean being available to my neighbors if they need help. i mean having a home that is inviting and a place of refuge and safety. i mean...........this:

joshua 24:15 - "if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the river, or the gods of the amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the lord."