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frontlines

When I was a pastor, I quickly came to realize that my life would be lived under a microscope. My life — thoughts, ideas, feelings — rippled out into the community very easily and quickly. And more often than not, I hated this aspect of pastoral ministry. I didn’t want to live on a platform, but that was the nature of being on the frontlines. Now, in my current position, I am finding it very difficult to get legs under anything. If I have something I want to teach, how do it do it? How do I make a difference? How do I make impact?

Pastors and church planters, you are on the frontlines, whether you like it or not. You live with a megaphone attached to your mouth, whether you want it or not. By answering the call to plant, you are choosing to step onto a platform, and live there. It is a great priviledge and burden.

2008 07 25 Peter Uncategorized Comments (0) Permalink

Launch Sequence Initiated

hi all,

it was 2007 when i first went to my ical and inserted “official launch” on august 3rd.  and now, 8 months later, it is less than 2 weeks away!!

to be honest, i thought i’d be more stressed.  i thought that in the final weeks leading up to the launch i’d be going crazy finalizing details, working on my sermons and just generally stressing myself out b/c i should be.  but i find myself strangely calm - and maybe even a little bit disconnected.  in spite of the fact that there are a lot of things not yet ready, purchased or planned - i have found some level of peace in the realization that there isn’t much i HAVE to do.  in the end, while there are a ton of things we could do, the only things we must do are pray together, study the Word together, eat together and spend time in fellowship.  and when i simplify it like that it really seems to help put the other stuff at ease.  if we have a great website then fantastic - but we don’t have to.  if we have a sharp sunday bulletin then super - but we don’t have to.  all we have to do is study, pray, eat and fellowship.  and those things i can handle.

one other thought.  i am still wondering whether summer is the right time to plant (especially in boston).  while summer is a fun time it is also a very inconsistent time.  lots of people travel, college students return home and the city is in chaos all year long.  and so momentum is really difficult right now.  my hope is that by starting at such a strange and inconsistent time we will find the student return at the end of august and the new influx of people to boston in september a great momentum boost.  and so perhaps in november i will look back and be glad we did it this way - but right now i’m not sure.

please pray for us!

2008 07 22 josh Uncategorized Comments (1) Permalink

vacation

I am in Chicago right now. Drove 16 hours overnight with the family to vacation for 2 weeks. Susie, Sophie, and I will be in Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland for a week while grandma takes on Emmy and Maddie in Chicago. Thought a lot about this while driving: who would any one of us be without family and friends? Who would any one of us be without purpose and mission? What would I be without God in my life?
Ephesians 2:12 “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”
Thanks be to God!

2008 06 21 Peter Uncategorized Comments (0) Permalink