Relative Truths

Ok, so I have decided that I need a few routines in life.  Yesterday was the
first real day of being a church planter.  I woke up with nowhere to go, but
lots to do.  I worked at my secondary office (Panera) before coming back to
my primary office (home).  Like I said, I need a few routines.  They keep me
on task and that is important.  So, I am going to start my days with reading s
cripture and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I am going to post about what I am
reading.  So, here goes.

 

Today I started reading Nehemiah.  I haven’t read Nehemiah since I was like
15, unless you count seminary when I was trying to be prepared for a test. 
I figured, he is a guy who set out to build something for God, and I feel like
I am trying to build something for God.  Here are a few tidbits I picked up
from the first three chapters.

 

Nehemiah 1:4- he wept because the wall was destroyed and the people of
God were shamed.  I weep for the people in Suwanee that don’t know what
a transforming relationship with Christ is like.  We should all weep when God
has been abandoned or neglected.  What makes you weep?

 

Nehemiah 2:5-8- Nehemiah is willing to ask a lot of the king in order to serve
God.  As a result, he is able to rebuild the wall and restore the people to God. 
Are we willing to ask a lot of others and ourselves for God?

 

Nehemiah 3- It took a community to rebuild the wall.  Nehemiah couldn’t do it
all by himself.  As a church planter, I can’t do it all.  It takes a team and a community
to honor God.  My prayer has been that God is ahead of me in Suwanee so that
we can honor Him.

 

That’s all for today.  Hope your Tuesday is going well!

 
 

Ok, so last Sunday was my first Sunday as the pastor of Connection Church.  Since
we aren’t having services yet, I took the opportunity to go to my friend Andrew Erwin’s
first Sunday at his first church, New Hope Between.  Andrew did a great job with his
message (he always does).  However, what impressed me most was how Andrew
handled the end.  As were singing the closing hymn, a man collapsed back into his
pew.  We had to call 911 and he was taken to the hospital (good news, he is fine). 

Andrew was awesome.  He calmly led people in prayer for the man, R.L.  He was
a calming presence for the people, showing them tht he is a leader they can trust. 
I was so proud of how he handled a situation I have yet to face as a pastor.  T
o make it even better, his awesome wife, Kristen, who is a nurse, helped attend
R.L. and was another source of calm strength.

I know that is not the ideal way to start at a church.  However, Andrew and Kristen
showed the church that they will be up to the task.  I am proud of them and their
ministry at New Hope and what God will do through them.