I want to share my heart about the community God has given me. It’s a wonderful, loving, passionate, and involved bunch of people. God’s given me a family who support me, friends who come along side me in times of celebration and hard times as well, co-workers who are super helpful and inclusive, mentors who’ve counseled me through multiple phases of life, and people for me to invest in that have turned out to be continual blessings to me personally. What’s crazy is that every single group has played a role in shaping me, and I can truly say I’m thankful for who God through that community is shaping me into. Every single individual has shaped me or blessed me in some way that always tends to point me right back to Jesus in thankfulness, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. They don’t always intend for that but inevitably despite all mine and our brokenness being blessed by others and being a blessing to others does that. Without the people God has so graciously placed in my life I don’t know where I’d be or what I’d be doing. But I’m here, and I’m getting ready to embark on the journey of a lifetime where I’m confident that I will see more fully how God is moving and working in the world, and not only that, but I’m going to be an active participant! I’m leaving for an expedition with the World Race in August to the 10/40 window.
I literally couldn’t do all that I’m being called to do if it weren’t for this wonderful community God’s placed in my life. I’m very much in the early stages of fundraising, I have been blessed with three donations. Thank you David, Mrs. Suzanne, and my dear Grandma June! But I haven’t even sent my support letter out! I posted one thing to Facebook. I wasn’t calling for any sort of response yet. I was just outlining my story. Yet, my community has blessed me. Thank you all!
And I’m continually blessed by my community, just now as I write this I’m surrounded by two wonderful people in my community, Seth and Jeremy. They might not even know fully what their friendship has meant to me, but Jeremy was one of my first good friends at Kennesaw State and at one point, my roomate. He one time jumped in ice cold river, and brought me along solely to film him. It’s still to date one of the funniest things I’ve seen with my own two eyes. Seth has given me great deals at Kroger with all his connections, and tonight made me the best stuffed squash I’ve ever eaten. To them those may have been small things, but to me that’s a big deal.
These are just a few recent things. But if I listed every way I’ve been blessed by all the people God’s been putting in my life I’m sure I could never complete this blog. I’d be writing non-stop! Nevertheless, thank you Josh, Cam, Stan, Davis, Garv, Blake, Trent, Corey, Corey & Corey, Christian (Thor), Wayne, Tristen, Chandler, Jaceb, James, Tyler & Tyler, and all other guys in my small group I may have missed. My life is so much richer knowing that you guys consistently pray with me and for me and encourage me in the Word. Thank you to the Inside Out team from the days of Watermarke to the now days of Woodstock City, all those who serve the high schoolers blessed me as a highschooler and continued as I was led to lead. To those who serve children in Waumba with me, you guys are always so prepared and kind hearted. My parents, thank you all. You’ve shaped me into the man I’ve become, from birth you’ve put up with me. How wonderful it would be to go on, but I’ll move on to the point.
Community is absolutely essential for a life to the full. Hopefully through my life you see that. God in himself is a community. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s therefore natural that if God is the ultimate desire of our hearts that community would follow. But what exactly is community? I’ve talked about the people that make up my community and how they’ve blessed me, but what do I mean by that word? I mean a group of people in life together. “Com” is like with, and what’s the second part? Unity. We might have different words for it, but that’s community at its bare bones. People together united. We may be united through various means but we are united nonetheless. United in Christ? Now, that’s life changing. That’s the Church. That’s the Bride of Christ. That’s what I’m being called to grow all over the world. That’s what this is all about. I’m learning to build community here. Now. Where I am. God will then use me to do it in the places where that community is mostly non-existent.
God will use me through the blessing of my current community, people maybe like you who may feel called to give to the mission of community, Jesus Community, around the world. If you feel the Spirit nudging you to do something like that, I pray God multiplies your gift whatever it may be. Maybe it’s a one time gift or a recurring gift from now until the time I’m fully funded. Either way, thank you!
Romans 15:5-7 (HCSB)
5 Now may the God who gives[a] endurance and encouragement allow you to live in harmony with one another, according to the command of Christ Jesus, 6 so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice. 7 Therefore accept one another, just as the Messiah also accepted you, to the glory of God.
Photo Cred: TLR KSU (the college ministry that I have to thank for my current small group) Stolen from their FB @livingroomksu Thanks!
