The time is getting closer to our assessment with the Acts29 Network of church plants. We attend the October conference in St. Louis and will spend the last day being assessed as church planters.
I have listened to nearly every Mark Driscoll message out there. I have laughed till I cried, I have wept till I couldn’t breathe and I know that God is in our lives, in our ministry and in our marriage. And for some odd reason, I find great security in that. I find great peace and contentment in the knowledge of the Kingdom picture. That’s definitely new for me. I’m more of an “in the moment” kinda gal.
I think I am looking forward to meeting other people who have a similar “demographic” as we do. We’re not inner-city, we’re not a “downtown” kinda area, we’re not even suburban by definition. We’re in a county surrounded by 160,000 blue collar workers with incomes on the low side of middle income. Football is a religion, shopping is nobody’s pastime, and Budweiser is how you spell relaxation.
We’re smack in the middle of a country music video with achy-breaky-big mistakey-haircuts. The people here work hard, very hard – nearly every home is two income. Their weeks are filled with jobs, taking kids to various activities and shopping for food to feed them all. These families love one another, love their community and would like to love their neighbors. They’ve just never met them. They don’t make to time to meet them. They live in an area 25 years and don’t know their next-door neighbor, because it’s not something we do today.
I love our community. I love the people around here. They work hard all week and spend the weekends caring for their homes, their yards and trying to squeeze in a movie or sporting event.
They need Jesus…and they need Him desperately. Our neighbors are lonely, but fearful. They’re friendly, but distant. They’re in need of the truth and how it will set them free from their burdens. We have reached out our hands to our neighbors and while it’s been kinda weird for everyone…they’re starting to reach back.
At our assessment in October, I feel like we’re representing more than just our community. I know there are other areas with similar people, similar lifestyles. I pray we can share our stories, gain encouragement and learn to keep our ears to the ground, listening to the heartbeat of our own community.
It’s weird, but assessment sounds so personal to me. My temperament will be assessed and then they will determine if I do indeed possess the character that exhibits Christ in my life.
I will be given the approval from a group of men so that I may go out to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Wait a minute….didn’t I get that already? Some guy about 2,000 years ago said something about going out … hmmm
peacemakingirl