New Life

When we moved here a couple of months ago I brought a plant with that had been outside in our yard. It was beautiful, big red flowers, healthy green leafs, and it was starting to grow these long vines. So I bought a new pot for it so it would have all the room it needed to remain healthy and continue growing. It looked so good but it was accidentally left outside for a couple of hours and the cold air had wrapped its hands around its lively body. Within a few days all the branches became dark and the once green leafs, full of life, had started to turn brown and wither. All hope was lost, the beauty was gone and it was time to throw it away.

I was putting off tossing this dead plant out with the trash, because that is what I do(procrastinate). As I glanced at it yesterday I thought I saw something green, which is hard to tell when you are partially color blind like myself. When I got a closer look I noticed one big green leaf and a single vine growing out of the center of the plant, it's ALIVE.

Rising out of the heart of this plant was a new beginning. As the outside looked dead and hopeless, buried under the surface of dirt was life, the beauty that once shown never left but was just hidden for a short time. As we are in the season of Lent, I keep one eye looking ahead to the glorious resurrection that we await when we get to celebrate what once seemed hopeless when the beauty of Christ was hidden under a pile of dirt.

I can't help but wonder what parts of my life must die so that new life may begin. Just because something looks healthy and good doesn't mean it is and maybe, just maybe, a little pruning needs to be done. 
Mark 8:35
^"For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.

Transformed

This is the before photo of the table that now sits in front of church. I purchased a 1940's dinning room table and started the work of transforming it into a communion table. The following paragraphs are a reflection of the notes I took as I worked on this project.

            As I’m starting this project I have thought a lot about what this table should look like. Fancy, plain, or simple are all thoughts that have ran through my head. In the process of working on this table I keep thinking about the practice of actually going up and participating in the Lord’s Supper. The amount of thought I have put into this table reminds me of the amount of thought someone puts into the decision of approaching the table for the first time.

            I’m not using new wood without imperfections but a 70+ year old table full of scratches and inadequacies, stains, rough edges, and far from perfect. This is the way I imagine we approach the table when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. As I’m taking off the old stain I can see this wood surface that looks beautiful. The table is being restored to its previous glory much like we are when we walk forward for the body and blood of Christ. 1 hour into this project and I can smell and taste the saw dust as the restoration process has begun.

            As I sit here and think about all the family meals that have been served on this table for the last 70+ years, I can’t help but smile at the thought of God’s family coming up to this table to share in His meal. My mind wanders as I try to imagine all the conversations that have taken place around this table, the tears that have been shed and the laughter that has echoed off the surrounding walls. How many family decisions have been made around this table and how many times has the Lord’s Prayer been said before the breaking of bread?

One of the biggest problems that I have run into is the weather. Even though I’m in my garage with a space heater the cold has made it difficult to stain the wood and there are some aspects of the restoration process that will have to wait until the spring when it is warmer. This reminds me that the process of becoming new in Christ also takes time as it is not an overnight process. The cold has also had an effect on me as I have spent several hours working on the table and I don’t like having to many layers on while working so I too have been a little on the frigid side of things as the cold sneaks into my body and slows my mind. Just as Satan tries to slow us down and put obstacles in our way, the cold air will not last forever as the warmth of the Son will chase away the frost.   

            A person has lots of ideas what the finished product will look like when you are building something or working on a project and you never truly know what the finished product will be until it is done. It’s funny now that the table is done that it’s hard to remember what the former image was. You can still see some of the really deep scares that were engrafted into the table many years ago. It’s almost as if the deep scares of life never leave as there is always a trace of the damage that was done.

            I can see so many correlations to life in this table that it is kind of strange; it has become more than just a table. Even though we are made into a new creation in Christ part of our past still lingers in the dark. It won’t always be visible but if you look really hard you can see the wear and tear that make up life. This table is still not whole as there are still chunks missing and signs of old age but I don’t think the idea is to become completely restored looking new fresh out of the box. The point is that under all the ugliness of life there still remains a beauty that only becomes visible in the presence of our Savior. As we partake in the body and blood of Christ the Spirit reminds and restores us, strengthens us so that we may indeed look for a while like the glorious people that God made us to be, around the table of the KING. 

 

Welcome Home

3 months ago we loaded up a semi with most of our stuff, which can really add up with a family of 5, and made our way to Le Mars, Iowa. We moved to follow a calling that had been placed on my heart many years ago and only realized recently. Much has changed over the last 4 years, God called me to full time ministry, we had our third child Evelyn, I quit a good job and went into seminary full time, we made it through 3 years of seminary while being blessed by so many wonderful people, the season of trusting God as to where and when came, I accepted the call to be the next pastor at Rejoice Community Church, and we said goodbye to a place we had known as home.

For the last 3 months we have been working on settling into our new roles and community. I, for the first time in my life, feel as though I am exactly where God wants me to be and there is great peace in that (along with expectations, new stresses, joys, and love). The boys have been rooted up from the only place they have known and are doing well with making new friends and getting good grades at school. They also like the church which makes me very happy, we have had some great talks about why we have moved so far away and what it means to actually follow Jesus.

The community of believers at Rejoice have been a blessing to us. We have felt welcomed and cared for during this time of transition, as it is just not a transition for us as a family but also for the body of the church as we start this growing process together.  And what a fun start it has been, baptizing 3 babies in the first two months with more on the way, haha. Who knew baptizing would be so much fun, probably God.

In my mind it feels like the journey we have been on for the last 4 years is finally done and then I hear God's words from Jeremiah 29 "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." In that moment I realize that the journey has just started and what a tale it will be some day, as we are just in the first chapter. I think I will call chapter 1 of this journey "Welcome Home"