Been and Going

We've been absent in long stretches from our updates, so I thought I would bring everyone up to speed on where we've been and where we are going - as much as we know it. I think everyone is pretty well caught up on all our travelling through the holidays. I can't remember if I mentioned we went up to Chicago a few weeks ago to visit with some churches up there. If the kids stay asleep, I will post a couple of pictures from that trip. It was a rich time for a couple of reasons. First, we got to spend some time with some of Mike's family. I have always been encouraged by the generosity of Mike's family. Not necessarily monetarily, though that is certainly true and I am pretty sure any one of them would give you his shirt if you asked him. They are just generous - in how they treat you, accomodate you, talk to you, etc. It is always good to spend time with them.

Second, it was a profitable trip in that we were able to interact with a couple of church plants. It is encouraging to see the larger work the Lord is doing through small works of faithfulness to bring the gospel to the cities of our country. We are excited to be a part of one of those works (somewhere) come graduation.

That being said, we still do not know for sure where we are going after graduation. This past week we spent four long days at a church planter assessment in Georgia. Mike and I have decided it was the richest week of our marraige so far. Invaluable. I realize the thought may have crossed some of your minds over the past few years, "They sure are spending a lot of time getting educated, being assessed, getting ready...why not just get to serving the Lord." Honestly, I have felt that way myself at times. But last week I was reminded of the importance of this season. I'll explain a little:

The reason Mike and I are interested in church planting (versus going to an older, established church) is because we feel a call and have a desire to be in the city. We love the city - the history, the cultures, the opportunity, the noises, the excitement, the variety, the character (and the characters). By and large, the good news of Jesus is absent from most cities. It left when churches followed people to the suburbs. The churches that are left are dying or extrememly liberal. As most of you might be noticing if you have visited your downtowns, people are moving back into the cities but the churches are not. Who is there now? The poor people who never had the option to move out to the suburbs and the wealthy young professionals who are buying up the lofts and shortening their commute. The poor people who feel abandoned and the wealthy who feel confident and proud - both in need, but not for what they think they need. That is who we feel called to minister to.

Church planting is hard. It is hard financially because you pretty much have to raise your own salary plus functioning money for a church that won't be able to fully support itself for maybe three years - sometimes more depending on the cost of living in the particular city and how fast the church grows. It is hard on your family because it takes A LOT of work to start, nurture, and grow a church. It is potentially discouraging at times. As a planter family you are it...maybe for a good while before things start moving. There have been a good number of family casualties from crash and burn plants...which is exactly why we went to the church planter assessment last week. It is the equivilant of seeking godly counsel. It is a strengths and needs assessment. It is an assessment of what you feel like your call to ministry is and whether or not you have the gifts to do it. It is people who only have your best interest and the interest of the Gospel in mind as they tell you the hard things you need to hear and encourage you in the Lord's call. Like I said, invaluable.

So, we have about two and a half months left of school - party at our house on May 15th!. We have a house to get on the market and sell. We have some big decisions to make about what comes next. Please pray for us if you are so inclined. We will keep you posted.