Beyond the Walls. Mike and Terrell. The desire to see people live out the way of Jesus wherever they are.
And we have.........liftoff!
It gets old trying to live within the "mike-made" walls I've constructed in my life. I know why I try though. It's simple. Clean. Familiar. Safe. But after a while, especially when you rarely leave the "house," you realize new appliances, light fixtures and a fresh coat of paint aren't as appealing as they once were. You can only makeover the inside so many times before you find yourself wondering if there is something more to life beyond these walls. Sure, it can be more complicated. Messy. Vulnerable. Risky. I'm well aware of that. But that's the kind of life I want to live. One that follows Jesus into all the nooks and crannies of this world. I don't want to be content with just coming to meet God in a building on a hill. Don't get me wrong. That has an important place for multiple reasons. But I want more. I want to join God as he holds the heartbroken in our community. I want to meet him as he loves on young people who are so often viewed as unlovable. I want to be where He is already at work, drawing the last, lost and least of these closer to his heart. And that means...stepping outside the walls...becoming a little more comfortable with the uncomfortable...and trusting God to lead us into the unknown.
Terrell and I plan to use this blog as a means to encountering God more meaningfully in everyday life. At times there could be anything from exploring the humor in the ordinary and mundane to deep spiritual insight as we attempt to reflect on how God is at work in our church, in our community, and in our world. We invite you to join us in this formative process. We learn, grow, and are shaped best in the context of community. So please take time to comment and reflect with us on the God we love and serve and praise in everyday life.
We hope to see you beyond the walls!
Mike
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Me too, Mike. Great post. Good to see you blog again, perhaps more frequently.
ReplyDeleteTerrell is gonna blog? I'm vacillating between shocked and curious.
Thank you guys for starting this blog. I look forward to seeing where this journey leads all of us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for launching our blog with an expression of nervous excitement. I believe stretching ourselves is really healthy; but it's always more fun when I'm watch others do the stretching. When it comes to me stretching . . . well that's more like work. Fun work, but still work.
ReplyDeleteSo beyond the walls, here we come.
For those of you not blessed to spend many hours a week working with these guys, I'm hoping this blog will give you a bit more insight into their hearts, or at least a different perspective than you get on Sundays and Wednesdays.
ReplyDeleteWe are a blessed church family to have Terrell and Mike!
Thanks everyone for your comments! I really hope that this blog and the comments section can be more of a conversation than anything else. I hope that we can learn and grow from each other as we share what's on our mind and in our heart. So don't be afraid. Step out. Comment. And let's go deeper together.
ReplyDeleteI just want to share a moment of rejoicing about the perfect gifts that God sends to us. Last week my neice, Jennifer who is 25 and had a baby in December had her annual check up and the doctor found a mass in her breast. For those of you who don't know much about breast cancer there is a form which seems to occur durign pregnancy and is very aggressive. When the doctor discovered the mass Jenn had an ultrasound that appeared to be show suspicious cells. Of course we as her family went into emotional overdrive. My neice had a very devistating first marriage that ended in divorce six months after they got married. She survived a cheatin husband who had become menatlly abusive and completed her last semseter of nursing school while dealing with the divorce. Her faith was amazing to see in action. God guided her through a time when many would have given up. She has since married a wonderful Christian man who has a faith just as strong as Jennifer's. We as her family were so proud for her. This mass seemed so unfair. How could God allow such a thing to someone who has already been thru so much so early in her life? We all hit our knees and prayed. The doctor sent Jen to Clarksville on Friday for where the hospital has more advanced technology. God answered our prayers. The mass is a number of mammilary glands that have adhered to each other. It is not cancer. PRAISE GOD!!!!! He does answer our prayers and He carries us when we are unable to carry ourselves. aleonard
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