Continuing on in the journey....

Again, it’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog.  This probably comes as no real shock.

A lot has happened this last semester.  January, I got to visit Misty, Amy, Leah, Kelli and the Jones’ in Sucre, Bolivia.  February, I welcomed my nephew – Ezekiel Joshua Brock…best known as Zeke – to the family.  March, I traveled up to NYC with the family and passed the one-year mark of being back in the States.  April was full of writing papers I had put off to the last possible second, so nothing huge happened that month.  May, I wrapped up my first year of seminary and attended a mission expo with the IMB.  And in June, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to serve as a special teamer for the Panama City Beach FUGE staff.  Life hasn’t slowed down. 

My trip to Bolivia was incredible and made me miss life on the field.  It is always a blessing to spend time with people I consider family.  We just hung out for two weeks and caught up on life.  AMAZING.  Can’t wait for the opportunity to go back.

At the risk of stating the obvious, Zeke is the cutest little boy EVER.  Riley and Aydia are so proud of their little brother.  He is famous on Facebook for his crazy eyes and hilarious faces. 

My one-year mark has come and gone.  There are moments where it is still a struggle and reverse culture shock sets in, but God is greater and I’m constantly reminded that I’m right where I’m supposed to be.  It is crazy to think I’ve been back for so long.  While I long to be back overseas, I’m doing my best to love where I’m at and invest in the lives of those I live among.   

The first year of seminary is a wrap!  It was an amazing time and I have walked away challenged and changed.  The question that looms is this: what am I going to do with what I’ve learned?  There is no answer yet.  I’m still processing through many of the conversations we had in class and thinking through how to implement them in real-life situations.    It is good and I’ve been blessed by the people who have poured into me this past year and spoken truth into my life.  The semester drained me, but I walk away having learned so much.

God blew my socks off at the Mission Expo.  I walked in with my plans firmly in hand and was prepared to not go back with the IMB if my plans wouldn’t work.  I laugh at that now.  During those 3 days, God pried my preferences and my call apart.  I had meshed the two into one thing.  My call isn’t to a certain place or culture or people group.  My call is to the lost.  To share with those who may have never heard.  And to also learn what the Body of Christ looks like in different contexts and cultures – to get a bigger picture of how God moves among the nations.  So, I’m finishing up my application to serve as a career missionary and just waiting on the next step.  It’s a journey and I’m excited to see what God has next. 

Some of you may know I turned down the rec director position at Jenness Park this summer.  There were a few reasons for that, but I wasn’t really planning on working camp again.  Another plan change.  They needed some former staffers to help out with some big weeks of camp at a few locations.  Last week, I worked at PCB with an amazing staff.  I won’t lie, I was nervous about serving with a team that had already been working together for 3 weeks.  Being a loner was what I was somewhat expecting.  In no way was that the case.  They will never know what a blessing they were/are to me.  My heart was refreshed.  It was an incredible week and I flew home last Friday so encouraged by these new friends.  I realized how much I missed being so intentionally involved in people’s lives.  So, I’m headed back to PCB in two weeks.  I’m excited for the chance to serve alongside my family there, again and to share the love of Jesus with the students that come.  I’ve known this crew for a week and yet feel like we’ve been friends forever.  I love that about the Body of Christ. 

So, there’s the latest news.  What’s next?  No idea.  The Lord knows the next steps and that’s good enough for me.  Walking by faith.  

Book Review: Change Your Church For Good

So, I review books now for Thomas Nelson.  It’s a good deal.  Pick a book that looks interesting, they mail it to you and then you write a review on your blog and Amazon.  And I’m always up for a free book!  Now, periodically, there will be book reviews on my blog. 

I’ve just read Change Your Church For Good by Brad Powell.  Powell is pastor of NorthRidge Church in Michigan.  This man loves the church but sees great room for improvement.  This we agree on.  Throughout the 300 pages (which drag on at times), he lays out the problems and then gives his opinions on how to remedy them.  He presents it all quite clearly and it’s very easy to read and understand.  His conclusions about the church are harsh, but true.  Powell charges the church with being irrelevant.  While this may be true, I felt that his focus was in making the church seeker friendly.  He makes the point that “most churches are organized to serve the interests and well-being of the insiders rather than the outsiders,” I agree.  I believe he goes too far to the other extreme. 

His strengths lie in the way it all is laid out.  If you like things given in steps, you’ll like this book.  With each problem, Powell spells out a certain way it can be approached.  The fact that he is using his own experience and his previous churches as case studies helps make application to his points.  I didn’t like how seeker friendly he was, but that is a personal opinion.  

Would I recommend this book?  If you want quick, easy answers, then yes.  The church today has problems that need addressing.  I don’t think becoming ultra-relevant and creating services that entice those outsiders to come visit is what will fix the problem.  He doesn’t really address the heart of the church, but focuses on things that can be done to get more people inside.  Reasons that I think are surface level.  For what he is trying to accomplish, the book does exactly that.  While the solutions are not what I would recommend, some of the problems he gave are quite valid and the church should take time to hear them.  Powell desires for the church to do a better job of reaching those outside the church…. we just disagree on what needs to change in order for that to happen.

Next review: Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola