success suicide.

Just about 6 months ago, I packed up my family to enter terra incognita. With hearts full and pockets empty, we leaped into a new life as what most refer to as church planters. However, we like to think of ourselves as cultural missionaries. We are cultural constructionists. We love to build relationships and integrate these relationships into a community. This obviously happens on different levels. For example, I am the Connections Pastor at Journey church. (Check out our weekly podcast to hear a talk I gave on unanswered prayer.) My business is to develop a organic network of small groups where people are living life together and being challenged to follow Jesus in personal and authentic ways. By the way, this week we are beginning our first semester of small groups we call, Journey groups...crazy creative, right?! We have 6 groups launching this week! Our biggest issue so far is that our first group that met Sunday evening is already a bit too big to be considered a small group. We had 25 people show up!

Now back to my point.

In addition to pastoring at Journey church, I work a full-time job. Everyone knows that I'm a pastor. Most of them are still unsure exactly what that means. The ones that I work with directly, drink, swear and talk about everything pertaining to life...politics, healthcare, reality TV, sports, etc. I love it! From time to time, they'll ask me about my perspective on different issues. In each of the moments, God has created a sacred space. I can see it in their face as we talk. Everything is stripped away...all the bravado, ego and safeguards, are forgotten for the moment. I love it!

Just this week, I was jokingly accused of committing success suicide. To make a long story short, I helped another co-worker and let her benefit from the sudden success we experienced. When asked, why I didn't take credit, I told my director that the team was more important than any one of us as individuals. He said that was admirable. I politely told him that it was more right than it was admirable. So far, I've heard from a couple other people on the team that said it was 'very cool' of me to do that. I love it!

Honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal to me. BUT it was a big deal to them, and it was a big deal to God. I certainly don't deserve a pat on the back for being who Jesus died for me to be. But I am absolutely thrilled that it meant so much to the team that I work with. My prayer is that my attitude begins to mess with them and challenge them in ways unexpected to them.

one love...one life...

Guy