As I looked ahead to moving across the country in mid-September, I looked back on notes I had written down in South Africa that centered around what I thought would be most difficult in returning to the States.
-Judging
-Knowing how to love people where they are
-Thinking I know better, and wanting others to see differently
-Trusting I hear the voice of God
-Figuring out how to consistently be in people’s lives
Man, was that ever prophetic. Good news: I proved I’m relatively self-aware. Bad news: I consistently failed at the above. Better news: He covered it a long time ago.
September 15th marked my move out to Seattle. Here, the Lord paved the way for me to live in a truly amazing house of guys on Mercer Island at a crucial time in my life.
God is doing a sweet, sweet work on this island, and He’s using five willing men of God to do it (the five men are below). You guys – Clint, Chase, Char, Brando, and Ben – are creating echoes in eternity. These men granted me so much grace, and I leave incredibly encouraged by how they are pursuing people and staying planted in this community. I had a lot to learn from them.
It was during these months I realized which signs point to lost intimacy with God (for me):
-A critical nature
-Callousness that replaces affection and expectancy
-Sub-conscious belief in willpower over receiving and then giving
I was reminded that you cannot have long-lasting change by willpower alone; it will fizzle out. I was reminded that it’s not really about how much I love God; it’s about how much He loves me. I was reminded that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
In a few month stretch where I hiked a week on the Pacific Crest Trail with some Deerfoot brothers, visited Texas three separate times, lived the dream in Los Angeles and San Diego, spent Thanksgiving and Christmas in Connecticut, watched the ball drop in Chicago, and have lived the greater part of this new year in Canada, I realized my days were not regularly shaped by this question: “What decisions am I making today that will impact the rest of my life and others’ lives?”
If it’s not spurring others onto love and good works, it’s not my focus.
These guys in Seattle were and are all about spurring others onto love and good works. And, the favor that rests on that household has taken several guys all the way to the Super Bowl. Like the Seahawks who came away with some scrapes and bruises to land on the biggest stage in football, I’ve come away from re-entry licking some wounds but covered by grace that is taking me to a new season ripe with expectation.
