It's weird that Neil and I are going to be looking for a new church.
So many changes in one God-directed decision. It's so hard to change. to move on. It's bittersweet. We're excited about the future - what God has ahead for us, but it's so hard to leave the place we have been. The place we have poured ourselves out in every way imaginable.
But we must move on. We've been praying hard about this for the past couple of months, and God finally gave us peace in the answer "go". And so, just as Abraham went, though he didn't know what was ahead, we go. We don't know where God wants us. We don't know what's in store. We just know that we are following down the path that God wants us to follow.
So we go...
The other night we were looking back over the past year. what have we learned? Where are we individually and as a family compared to a year ago? God has done some amazing stuff.
God has taught us so much - grown us up so much - and molded Neil and I together so much over the past year - but mainly just in the past couple of months.
We have become stronger in what we believe.
We have also discovered that we are very "counter-culture", and we see it as an amazing encouragement. Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
The Church is way too conformed to the world today. We are supposed to be different than the world. And the ironic thing is that those who don't know Christ are much more attracted to a body of Believers who are DIFFERENT than the world. Yet the Church today is getting farther and farther away from this. They believe that they are attracting those who don't know Christ by conforming. or justifying. or watering down the truth. Instead, we are pushing those who don't know Christ away, because they don't see believers as any different than themselves. (I've heard this come out of the mouths of SO many people) At the same time, we are making a generation of watered-down Christians.
Who do we hurt when we conform to the world? So, so many. ourselves, our God, our young brothers and sisters in Christ, and our friends and family who don't know the Saving Truth of Jesus Christ.
Who do we offend when we are not conformed to the world? sadly, I've seen that it's primarily other believers.
As I told Neil.... "I'm so tired of mediocrity."
Mediocre - adj. - of only ordinary or moderate quality; barely adequate.
However, there are many exceptions to this rule today. Those that want to live out loud and be different. Who live out the Word of God, no matter how much the world we live in contradicts it. These are the ones that live out the scripture "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)
For all of you that have sharpened Neil and I - who have held us accountable, encouraged us to dig deeper in the Word, Challenged us to step up and live out loud, and helped us to therefore grow in the Lord, we are truly thankful. Keep kicking our butts! It's because of this that we love you so dearly. May we be to you what you have been to us!
