What I don't wanna miss...
These days leading up to the fall semester have been busy to say the least. Even though CCW is a small start-up ministry, it is not a small job by any means. The CCW staff have been busy working out the details for what we are praying will be a dynamic first season. The last few weeks have been really special and rewarding, but also stressful and at times tiresome. It is all worth it.Last Sunday, I was talking to Dean Lohse, fellow CRC member, about some of the ups and downs the team and I had experienced in our first couple of weeks. His response was simply, "don't let the busy-ness of it all keep you from enjoying this time." I appreciated these words. It would be easy to get lost in all of the details. As I reflected on his advice, I decided that there were three specific things I did not want to miss in the first weeks and months of planting CCW.The first is the beauty of planting a new ministry. There is something precious and stunning (can't believe I used that word) about these first weeks. It is hard to put it into words, but there is a sense that things are new, fresh, and emerging. I don't wanna miss the visual picture of our first gatherings, the founding community and (hopefully) the new faces that will walk through our doors. It really is a beautiful thing...and I don't wanna miss it.Also, I wanna make sure I take in the mystery of this new venture. With all the vision talks I will give and all of the planning that will occur, we have no idea what CCW will become. I want to take in the reality that only God knows where this is going. I have been invited to experience it, not figure it out. I really don't wanna get so lost in the admin stuff that I miss the mystery.And finally, and maybe most importantly, I do not want to miss the desperation that this season offers. One thing is for sure...if CCW is gonna make it through the first few months, it will be because of God and God alone. All of the hope for CCW rest on Him. God is our source, sustainer and sole inspiration for what CCW is and where CCW goes. These are days where the resources seem limited and the options appear few. I want to fully embrace the desperation that these days offer and hopefully never forget where our help comes from. More than anything, I do not want to miss the desperation of our first season.It is such an honor to be a part of the first days of CCW. May we make Jesus famous by all we say and do.