“Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”
- Proverbs 27:5-6 (ESV)
Steph and I had a wonderful time with our pastor and our good friend, Justin Hyde, in Denver, CO this past week for the Acts 29 Boot Camp. It was an encouraging time of meeting fellow church planters, learning from seasoned pastors, and enjoying quality time with Steph and Justin.
Our assessment for membership into the Acts 29 Network was Friday morning. There are tons of rumors and stories about how grown men are made to cry, arguments that almost get to the point of throwing punches ensue, etc. However, this was not our experience at all.
We met with three sincere Acts 29 Pastors who truly appeared to have our best interest at heart. They confronted me seriously about my favorite sin, busyness. They led Steph and I through a series of probing questions helping me to see how my busyness effects/affects my own heart, my wife, my daughter, and my little seedling of a church. I hate my sin...
Now, I could see how some grown men might be made to cry by this experience, but I was so overwhelmed with gratitude, that Steph and I left the process eternally grateful to God for people who did not measure success the same way the world does and cared more for our hearts, our marriage, our daughter, etc., than our "success".
Part of my busyness has been due to necessity, as in, providing for my family. However, part of it has been motivated by my lack of faith in God's continued ability and desire to provide for all of our needs. I live in a constant tension of living by faith, not wanting to be lazy, and needing to provide for my family. The assessors helped me to identify my need for growth, maturity, and most of all, transformation in this area of my life.
There is much more to be discovered on this subject, but suffice it to say right now that we need your prayers.
Please be praying for:
- Continued godly sorrow that leads to repentance.
- Someone to buy our house so that we can get settled in Magnolia/The Woodlands.
- Discernment about what needs to go from our lives, what needs to be added, etc.
- More discipline in our lives.
- God to continue to bless our new little community.
Lastly, if you are in the process of planting a church at any stage, I highly recommend you look into partnership with the Acts 29 Network if you align with their vision and doctrinal distinctions.
Book Recommended to me:
