Insignificant in light of the infinite

It was a beautiful, clear day.  The waves of Lake Michigan crashed against the pier as the vibrant blue water stretched out until it kissed the sky.  Families stopped to feed the ducks while fishermen cast their lines into the water.  It was the kind of scene that seemed to be cut straight out of a movie.  

As we walked down the pier extending into the lake, Kristy was overwhelmed by the beauty of God.  I know that she was because she crouched down and pointed out into the water and explained to Elijah that God is the One who is so creative and beautiful that He not only created this amazing, gigantic body of water, but also the very day that we were enjoying was created by God for us to glorify Him by exploring His creation. 

When Kristy was explaining to Elijah how beautiful and creative God is, I was taken back some because I was staring out at this massive body of water lost in wonder about how big and powerful and good God is.  There’s just something about being confronted with the majesty of one of the Great Lakes that has a way of putting me in my place; that is: understanding that I am very, very small in light of who God is.  And in Milwaukee when you walk out on a pier into Lake Michigan, in front of you is this gigantic lake, and when you turn around, you see this majestic skyline.  It’s just one of those experiences that captivates your attention by seeing the glory of God. 

While this scene played out before my eyes, in the back of my mind I had another reason to feel small.  As we enjoyed a leisurely stroll on a sunny afternoon as a family, my church family back home was engaging in some serious service to our community through faithworks.  I don’t know how many people participated, but from what I read, over 100 work projects were completed, some 200,000 meals packed for starving kids, and 40 people baptized.  How incredible?!! 

Why would this make me feel small?  Because it all happened without me!  Faithworks happened without me, Faith Community Church is still going gang-busters without me, and the churches that I am connecting with down here are doing some great things without me! 

Living in this tension of recognizing that I am indispensable – and yet infinitely valuable because of what Christ has done for me – is living in freedom.  Jesus promised that He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it.  Jesus is building His church.  Jesus is holding the universe together.  God is reconciling a lost and broken humanity to himself through Christ.  It is His work for His glory.  And because He is good, He lets us in. 

The Kingdom doesn’t hinge on me.  The world will not tilt off its axis because I’m not plugged in.  This is such good news to all who desire to invest their lives in things that will matter, and matter forever.  If we understand this truth right, it won’t lull us into complacency, it will thrust is into faith-filled service.  If you love God, if your heart has been gripped by the greatness of God and your ultimate desire is to be close to Him and see Him move, then you are going to want to join in His work.  When God changes our hearts through the gospel, it changes everything. 

I’m grateful that those waves are going to keep crashing in Milwaukee and the hammers are going to keep swinging in New Richmond and that through each, the name of Jesus is going to be exalted for our good and His glory.  And I am overwhelmed that God invites a small, small person like me in!     

Do we really need more?

After a meeting at a coffee shop cancelled, I tried to make the best use of my time by sitting down for a conversation with the manager.  Managers of locally owned shops like that tend to have a pretty good handle on the heartbeat of a neighborhood.  I learned a lot from this manager, but her response to one of my questions I found particularly interesting. 

I asked her if she thought that the city could use more churches.  She thought for a while and then said, “no, I don’t think so.”  She proceeded to list off a number of churches in that neighborhood citing their existence as evidence that the city in general and that neighborhood in particular had plenty of churches.  Her perception as to the number of churches in Milwaukee is accurate.  In a meeting that I had with the president and the CEO of BASICS I was informed that in the city of Milwaukee there are 1,200 churches and in the suburbs there are 1,300.  That’s a lot of churches.    But is it enough? 

Even at that rate alone, with a population of over 1,750,000 for the greater Milwaukee area, that would mean that there is only one church for every 700 people.  Beyond that, Thomas Rainer’s research indicates that only 6% of churches in America are actually growing.  94% of churches in America are either plateaued or declining.  Applying that to Milwaukee, that indicates that there are only 150 churches in Milwaukee that are growing and 2350 that are declining. 

And this is just numbers.  How many churches exist but have lost sight of their mission?  How many people who are far from God would read these stats and cheer because they only see churches as judgmental and archaic drains on society?  How many people have no basis to agree with me that the church is the hope of the world?  In fact, I've asked this same question to a number of young African American men I've met and they've given me a similar response.  They say there are plenty of churches, churches on every corner.  When I've asked if there are any good ones, they've said "no, churches just want your money."   

Too many churches see themselves in competition with each other and have not understood what their role ought to be in an America that is now post-Christian.  You don’t have to go much further than The Huffington Post to see that many churches and pastors have adopted a form of Christianity that has been sucked into a vortex of political polarization, moralism, and prosperity (among other things).  These stand in stark contrast to the church that Jesus gave up His life to create. 

If we’re honest, we will have to admit that we are broken people living in the middle of a broken world.  I believe that all of the issues that we see in our own lives and in our world stem from one core issue: a broken relationship with God.  From wars and famines to lying and hording, all of these are symptoms of the one core issue that has plagued human history.  We are broken people with a broken relationship with God who is the source of life.  Therefore, when we choose anything other than God, we choose death, and the evidence is all around us and even inside of us. 

This is why Jesus left the perfection of the glory of heaven, to come into this sin infested planet, to give up His life in our place that He could restore our relationship with God, repair our broken hearts, and set us in right relationship with this broken world, that is, to continue His work of serving broken people that all may know that God loves them enough to die for them!  This is the mission of the church. 

It is my hope that God would raise up a multitude of new churches in the city of Milwaukee and beyond who are more concerned about serving than surviving.  Jesus gave up His life that we might live.  And He has told us that the only way we can truly live is by dying to ourselves, by laying down our lives for the good of people who don’t deserve it – just like Jesus did for me who doesn’t deserve His grace.  Milwaukee may not need more “churches,” but it certainly needs the Church to be the Church for the glory of God and the good of all people.  

You too, huh?

"Why don't I give you my number so that we can keep in touch?"  "Hey, take down my email so you can keep me up to speed on whats happening with you guys!"  Kristy and I have been having some of the craziest experiences out here.  At least four different moms have volunteered to give Kristy their cell numbers so that they could connect while we're here and maybe beyond.  

One of the things that I love about my wife is to see God's heart for people shine through her.  She is gifted in mercy and hospitality.  I've known this for years, but because of our parallel schedules its been years since I've seen her pour out these gifts in person.  When Kristy strikes up a conversation with other moms at a park, you can just see how their guards drop as they realize that she is taking a genuine interest in them - because God cares about them.  It's hard to say whether or not God is giving us favor with people, but I can't recall ever seeing this many people say that want to stay in touch with us AFTER they learn that we are investigating the possibility of planting a church!

We've been very fortunate to meet a lot of people.  We've met two different families with twins (I'm telling ya, it's an exclusive club!), a public school teacher, members of an urban ecology group, and others.  For me, I've been able to connect with a number of different pastors in town, get a few meetings set up for next week, got a tattoo, and attend two different church services.  One of those services was the grand opening of a satellite campus for Epikos church.  That was really cool!

We've also been able to continue to explore the city and see the sights.  I was able to take my family to their first Brewers game, we've checked out the Lake Front, and tomorrow...(drum roll please!)...we get to go to Polish Fest!    

I am grateful for the place that God has brought us to.  Last week I wrote that we have learned to apply the gospel to our frailty.  This week it seems like God is causing us to rely on Him because of our being finite.  We simply do not know where we are being called to, but we do know that God is with us and will be with us.  And this, not because we are so great or because He needs us, but because He is so great that He invites us to participate in His work of restoring this broken world for His glory and our good!

No sweat!

One stressed out father, one overwhelmed mother, and three unsettled kids.  Transitioning a family with three kids three and under  isn't as easy as it sounds.  Our entire family is used to having a nice back yard with a tree fort, a basement with a playroom, and a park around the corner.  This is not our reality for our summer in the city.    Now, don't get me wrong, we do have a really nice set up in a nice neighborhood.  It just doesn't provide the space for activity that we are accustomed to.

So far we have had a nice mix of getting settled in and having fun.  We figured out the important stuff, like where the nearest gas station, grocery store, and Target are.  We've also been able to go to the Zoo, walk around down town, and check out the art museum.  (First Thursday of the month it's free!)

Having only been here for five days, it's too early to tell what God may have for us here, but it is certainly not too early for us to realize that we are desperate for Him.  Often, we recognize that we need God due to our failures.  Right now, we see our need for God because of our frailty.

When Elijah (our oldest) was a baby, I used to sing to him Isaiah 40:28 - 31.  "Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth...He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might, he increases strength."  This is what we need now, as always.  I am grateful for the seasons where by God's grace He gently reminds us that we do not have the capacity to carry ourselves, but that He can carry us through anything that He leads us through.

Being on the front end of this, it's to be expected that our kids would be unsettled and that it would be stressful to figure out how to get around.  It's also to be expected that we will need God's grace to carry us through.  And it's to be absolutely counted on that God will be faithful to His Word!  We wait with eager expectation for God to settle the hearts of our children and to open our eyes to what He is doing in this city!