Yesterday I finished reading "The Christian Atheist" by Craig Groeschel.
Great book. As with any book, there were things that were more helpful than others. The book is geared in the direction of those that are farther from God. It's basic. It's great for those who distant from God and His church (which is all of us at times).
Premise: Christian Atheists are folks that say they believe in God, but live like he does not exist. This excerpt captures the heart of the book really well!
Several years ago I increasingly recognized inconsistencies between what I claimed to believe and the way I actually lived. I preached that people without Christ go to hell, but my life showed I wasn't equally passionate to reach those people. Though I believed God wanted my life to be different I found comparing myself to others easier than measuring my life against Christ's. I preached that prayer is critical. But my prayer life was virtually nonexistent. God's word said my treasure shouldn't be in this world, yet material things continue to grab my attention. Jesus said, "don't worry about tomorrow." But worry came as naturally to me as breathing. If I truly belonged to Christ, I should surrender my whole life to him. I just gave him parts instead, and took them back whenever he didn't to what I wanted. I called myself a Christian, but I lived like an atheist.
LifeChurch and XXX Church are sponsoring and leading a powerful online event throughout this week called The Porn Event. Click here to check it out. They are holding multiple online experiences where people talk VERY OPENLY about their struggles with porn and God's ability to heal.
(They have even launched a global Google AdWords campaign so that anyone googling porn will be directed to this event!! So cool!!)
From May 23-28, LifeChurch.tv and XXXChurch.com present ThePornEvent.com, a 25-minute interactive experience focused on the real-life effects of pornography. ThePornEvent.com has two segments, one for men and one for women; more details and the schedule can be found at ThePornEvent.com. During ThePornEvent.com we will examine the effect porn has on our lives and relationships, and look at next steps for those who are struggling. Expect a non-threatening environment featuring stories, helpful answers, and an open conversation with people whoʼve traveled a similar path. ThePornEvent.com is for anyone who is interested in what it looks like to live a life beyond pornography.
Perhaps you need to check it our or share it with others! Do it! Be bold.
I totally enjoy using social networking sites for building community, strengthening connections, communicating information and investing for God's kingdom!
About 150 CCF'rs are on Facebook now.
So, after a number of requests, I am leading a training event. It will be held this Thursday. We will cover some basics of Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, and maybe Skype.
You are cordially invited to join me!
Date: This Thursday, May 27th
Time: 7:00pm
Location: CCF Upper Room
Note: you can come whether you are already on these sites or not! We will have some fun and learn what we can!
Oh yeah, send me an email, message me or call me if you plan to come.
Recently, I have been thinking vividly about what obeying God looks like. While I know that we have missed the mark many times, these last few months have been a season of practicing reckless obedience. I want to share one lesson we have recently learned.
When God speaks, obey Him fast!
Do not delay. Do not wait. Don't weigh out every "what if" and "what could be". Don't ask for too many opinions. If you are confident that the Lord is speaking, OBEY! Make your move. Because the longer you wait, the higher the chances become that you will talk yourself out of it. Fast moving is often frowned upon as unwise. When it comes to obeying God, I don't think there is any such thing as moving too fast.
I will make this personal: If we had waited until later this year to move out of our house, I have a hunch we may have talked ourselves out of obeying God's call to South Africa. There are some days that the pain and the loss feels like more than we can take. But, we obeyed already. We took the plunge! There is no turning back. God said it and we did it. And that first act of obedience (leaving our home) was the first step in the process toward total surrender. No turning back...and we are thrilled for that!
If God is calling you to do something, can I encourage you to DO IT! Obey fast.
"We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice!" Joshua 24:24
We just returned home from being with some wonderful, wonderful people whom we love very much!! Tricia turned 30 in March and I am turning 30 in June. This afternoon, about 50-75 family and friends SURPRISED Tricia and I with a SURPRISE combined 30th B-Day party. They rented a pavilion at Watkins Park and had a beautiful spread of food. We were so surprised at some of the people present (from 5 states). We felt extremely honored and loved today. It is remarkable how good the Lord has been to us. I wish I could bottle the feeling of support that we felt today....there will be some times in the next several years where we will want to open it up and take some. ;-)
Thankful for this day,
Noah and Tricia
PS- Special shout out to my family (parents and siblings) who made this happen. You all are dear to us.
Our friends, Matt and Sioux-z Gary own and operate a really neat gym in Rockville, MD. Today, I am working for them for the day to get a window into their world. They are flying out to a competition in Ohio right now. Check out their gym. Website is HERE!
On Sunday, January 31st, it snowed! We had a guest speaker scheduled at CCF. We still had church. Only 135 people attended. The speaker was Floyd McClung. The day will stand out in my mind FOREVER! It was one of the pivotal days in revealing our future calling as a family. The message that Floyd preached that Sunday captured much of my heart for church these days. This morning, in preparation for where I am headed with this Sunday's message, I listened to Floyd's January 31 message again. As I did, I jotted down things he said that really impacted me. You will hear them on Sunday too. Here they are:
Instead of us going to a man to get to God, God is going to send a man to get to us (Jesus).
Is church a place we go? Or is church a people who go?
If we will discover what church is and its purpose, our hearts will come alive because we are made by the living God for the purposes of God to be lived out through the people of God. And the closer we get to this, the more alive and full of God we become.
The more you keep, the more you lose. The more you give, the more you gain. The best way to grow church is to give away church. (Hence, Church-Planting.)
Sunday is not a place where church happens, it is the time to equip the church to make things happen.
The church is locker room and Sunday is halftime. The game is played on the field!!
You’ve asked me to come. I’ve asked you to go. I will come when you go. -Jesus
If you don’t have a real battle to fight in the world of darkness outside the church, you will fight silly battles within the church.
Stop waiting for people to become Christians to be discipled by the church, start discipling people now so that they will end up as Christians linking up with the church!
After several requests, I've been trying to get the nerve up for this for a long time, and I am finally ready. ;-) I am throwing an iPhone party!! Go ahead and hate. It's ok. I'm ready for the hateage.
What is this? Party and food for iPhone owners (or those who long to be) where we will share ideas, favorite apps, teach each other things we have learned, exchange knowledge of cheap accessories, etc. While we do this we will download APPS and eat APPS (appetizers).
Who is invited? Anyone with an iPhone or iPod touch or who is considering getting one (and is also looking for an excuse to hang out on a Friday night).
When? Friday, June 25th at 6:30pm
Where? 3317 Mont Clare Lane in Bowie
What to bring? Your iPhone, accessories, and an appetizer if you know how to make a good one.
RSVP if you are coming! Email, call, comment, DM, FB message, text, whatever.
Recently, I've been reminded of a series of blogs I read earlier this year on the Swerve blog. The one thing. There are a few places in scripture that we see these words used...and I think they reveal something neat. I will share one today and then maybe a few more in some future blogs.
What one thing do you desire from God?
When David found himself afraid and on the run, he begged God for one thing.
He wrote in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
I think that if we could could name one thing that we desire God to do, it could bring laser focus to your prayers. And then perhaps it would allow us to expect from God and wait on him in ways that we haven't before.
Maybe above all else, you want to see one of your family members meet Christ. Or you need to hear God’s voice regarding some major decisions for your future. Or you need God’s healing in your marriage or physical body. Perhaps you are desperate for God's intervention as you parent a rebellious child. Maybe the one thing for you is that God would somehow show up and rescue you from what seems like a hopeless financial predicament.
As you seek reflect, what is the number one thing you desire from God right now? Maybe, like David, it would help you to name it. And pray it.
We don't know. Well, we know some things, but our honest sense is that in many ways the Lord is calling us into the unknown. We have a strong sense that we don't know the half of the reason why the Lord has called us out of CCF and into South Africa. Time will tell.
That said, I thought I would share a little more of what we do know at this point:
We will be officially moving to Cape Town on or about January 15, 2011.
Then, we will take a few weeks to get settled, scope the area, get Davis into school, adjust to culture some, etc.
The first weekend in February, we will begin a six-month Church Planting Training with All Nations called CPx. CPx is an intense church planting training experience where will be trained in how to plant church-planting movements as simple, missional communities. You can click here to read all about it.
By July, 2011 (after CPx) we expect to secure a modest place to live as a family there in Cape Town. At this point, we expect to remain in Cape Town at least one year following the conclusion of CPx. During that year we will serve within All Nations and participate in church-planting and caring for the poor, neglected and unreached people of Cape Town.
During the entire stay we plan to serve, learn, dream, write, communicate, contextualize, and envision ways to carry effective church planting to other places around the world....very possible to this area from which we are being launched.
We plan to be personally mentored by Floyd and Sally McClung, founder of All Nations. We were honored to have him at our Dining Room Table on January 31, 2010. We hope to be at theirs one year later. ;-)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please notice the word "we" appearing throughout this post. That is because this next season of our life is one that we are launching into together. Tricia and I will both be participating in this endeavor as a couple. And Davis will be involved as much as a 4 year old can. This is a call on our family, not just me.
These are some of the things we will be doing that we (think we) know. There are many other aspects that the Lord is preparing and we will take hold of them as we walk in faith....
This post is for Graduates and anyone else who reads it. I was recently asked to speak at the Lanham Christian School graduation this June. I spoke there 2 years ago as well (which would have been 10 years after I graduated from LCS myself). As I am now beginning to prepare this commencement address, I was reminded of my message from two years ago. Here are the notes. Maybe you want to share them with a graduate you know:
10 Life Lessons in 10 Years.....
The local church is the hope for our broken world. Find one get involved and help them make it happen. Over 40 commands in the Bible that are very difficult to fulfill if you are not a part of a Body. They need you and you need them!
Show me your friends and I will show you your future. Who they are is who you will become. I know it is tempting to think of friendships as projects….the problem is…they will win—not you.
Present yourself as you want to be treated. If you want to be treated like a woman, dress like one. If you want to be treated like a man, wear your hair and your pants like one! If you want to be treated like an intelligent adult, talk like one (speak English). If you want to be treated like a professional, behave like one.
It is more important that you love who you marry than that you marry who you love! Oh, Pastor Noah…I disagree….how can we marry someone we don’t love…I am not saying don’t love who you marry…..I am saying that I am not sure we really know what love is until we have loved the same person unconditionally for many years. That is why our divorce rate is what it is! Americans marry who they think they are in love with, but they are not in love, they are in heat. Then, they fail to love who they married. Remember this young people…..Love is not discovered on accident, but chosen on purpose. Love is defined best with the word—INTEGRITY! Not emotion, goose bumps, romance, passionate sex. AND YOU DO KNOW IT IS YOUR SOLE MATE IN 3 WEEKS or 3 MONTHS---Chemicals in your body are still lying to you that early in a relationship.
Have kids that are a blessing not a burden….God values life too much for you to create one that is a burden. Outside of marriage or inside of marriage!
Treat the Internet as a tool not a God. Ours is a fast paced, get it now culture. Slow down! Be cautious! Just because you can click on it does not mean you need it!! That applies to purchases, pornography, relationships, gaming, surfing, etc.
It pays to Discover you cannot afford a relationship with VISA. Credit Card application are on there way! RIP THEM UP! Save what you DO HAVE, don’t spend what you don’t have! Don’t talk yourself into believing that you need or deserve something at the expense of your future.
Frequently ask what Andy Stanley calls “the best question ever”!! That question what is "what is the wise thing to do"? In light of my past, in light of my current circumstance, in light of my future hopes and dreams, my finances, my family, my time ... what is the wise thing to do? I am convinced that we talk ourselves into believing in unwise decisions all the time! This might change is we start asking the best question ever! Do the RIGHT THING, not the EASY THING! The easy thing is for weak people! The right thing often takes a champion!
God's purpose and dreams for your life are 13.2 billion light years away from yours! Isaiah 55:8-9 states: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. There are known “heavens” are 13.2 billion light years from the earth. Graduates, GOD HAS A WAY BIGGER DREAM AND PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE!!! 13.2 billion light years bigger! (indebted to Mark Batterson on this one)
The place that you let Jesus Christ take in your life will determine where your life takes you! Give him first place! Give him first dibs on your dreams, your talents, your time, your attention and your heart!
Posting a quick blog before heading to bed for 3 reasons: 1. I haven't blogged in a few days. I wanted to tell you hello and I'm excited about some of the things I'll share here this week. 2. This morning rocked and I am thrilled about the new and renewed commitments that people made to Jesus today! 3. I've never posted a blog from my iPad...now I have. ;-)
As many of you know I am very close with my son, Noah and as a mother, I had been feeling a sense of uneasiness after Noah returned from his sabbatical. I kept sensing that God was doing a new work in his heart, and I was sure that I would know more as time went on.
One afternoon in March, I received a call from Noah inviting us to come over. He wanted to share what God was doing recently in their lives. In my heart I thought it might have something to do with a change regarding his role at CCF, but I had no idea what was about to be revealed. (The details of the calling have since been revealed, so I will skip that story.)
When I heard the words “South Africa” I couldn't believe my ears. This was a devastating announcement to me and I wasn't supportive or excited about this great revelation that Noah and Tricia were so thrilled about. I had a million questions and frankly, Noah had none of the answers. One thing we have learned is that God doesn't always give us the details when he asks us to follow Him. But I am Mom, and I wanted to know about the well-being and future of my Son and his family.
As the time was approaching for the announcement to be made to the church, I continued to seek the Lord for resolution regarding the call and move. As God often operates, I got no clear direction until the early morning hours of May 2nd-- the day of the announcement.
Early that morning, the Lord woke me up and this is what I received:
When you raise a child to go after God never be surprised what He will do. In 1998 I gave Noah back to God as he left for bible college knowing that he would probably never return. But God surprised me by allowing him to return and pastor my church. How amazing was that? So we served and were family together for six years. And then came this call. I didn't believe that the same God who brought my son home would now be sending him to South Africa. So the tears, anger and questioning began. But, that morning, I finally got it...
When you give something to God, you give it forever-- not to have any say so or control over what God chooses to do. He gave Noah back to me for a season and now I must release him with the same bittersweet joy that I felt in 1998 as we drove off the campus of Valley Forge Christian College, believing that God had an incredible ride ahead for our boy. Our hearts are now intertwined with two more people, Tricia and Davis, so releasing comes with new pain. But, praise God for what he is doing and his amazing and very personal plan for each of our lives.
As Loving Mother,
Pam Kaye
PS- If you know Joe, you know that this is a tad easier for him. He will miss them lots, but he was thrilled from the first day he heard the news.
God is a speaking God! He is not just a God that has spoken, but one that is speaking to us today. Check these verses out.
John 10:27- "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
Psalm 33:6, 9- “The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.”
John 1:1- "In the beginning the WORD already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word WAS God."
John 6:63- "The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very WORDS I have spoken to you are spirit and life."
Appearances in the Bible:
The words “The Lord Spoke” appear 24 times in the NIV Bible.
The words “God Spoke” appear 6 times in the NIV Bible.
The words “The Lord Said” appear 301 times in the NIV Bible.
The words “God Said” appear 54 times in the NIV Bible.
And then, I love this quotation from A.W. Tozer…powerful words:
“I believe that much of our religious unbelief is due to a wrong conception of and a wrong feeling for the scripture of Truth. A silent God suddenly began to speak in a book and when the book was finished lapsed back into silence again forever. Now we read the book as a record of what God said when he was for a brief time in a speaking mood. With notions like that in our heads how can we believe? The facts are that God is not silent, has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak. The Bible is the inevitable outcome of God’s continuous speech. It is the infallible declaration of His mind for us to put into our familiar human words.”
Maybe if we called the trinity, the tripod, we would not debate it as much. Okay, bad idea. The tripod of hearing God is something I shared in a sermon last year, but it is becoming more and more real to me. Not sure I ever blogged it, so here goes.
How do we hear from God? How do we know what He is saying and what His will for us is?
This is a question that I get in many different forms from many different people. It is a question that I also have wrestled with through the years. But I wrestle with it less these days thanks to this revelation that the Lord gave me. As you know, our family recently made some pretty immense decisions. And honestly, we did so without very much confusion or struggle--partly because of what I am sharing in this post.
Frankly, I think there are thousands of ways that we can hear from God. That said, I believe that there three primary channels through which the Lord clarifies and communicates his purposes for us. I call it the tripod of hearing God:
Word of God. What does the word of God have to say about it? It speaks about more than we could ever imagine.
People of God. Seek counsel from people that you know walk with Jesus (not just a professing Christian, but someone actively following Christ). Then, pay attention to their cautions and affirmations. They are very indicative of God's heart. And remember- if it ain't sound like God, it probably ain't God.
Spirit of God. By far, the hardest to explain and the most mysterious channel, it is extremely important to listen to the spirit of God in you! Acknowledge your thoughts. Listen to the whispers in your soul. And pay very close attention to your conscience.
“The Lord merely spoke , and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.” Psalm 33:6, 9
For 10 years, Catalyst has created moments that have left a mark on many leaders. I have attended one of the Catalyst One Day events and have known for almost a year that we would be taking a group to Catalyst this fall. This year's Catalyst Conference is October 6-8 in Atlanta at Gwinnett Arena. 13,000 leaders will gather together to grow and be inspired to Jesus. I have been hearing about Catalyst for the last number of years, and leaders I trust a lot are huge Catalyst fans!
This year’s speakers include: Andy Stanley, Seth Godin, Beth Moore, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Daniel Pink, Francis Chan, Christine Caine, Francis Chan, Perry Noble, Craig Groeschel, Gabe Lyons and many others.
I am uber-excited to take a group from CCF. There are about 10 staff and ministry leaders that I can afford to pay for out of our budget. I wish I could pay for anyone who wants to go, but I aint got it like that. ;-)
If you wish to go and can pay your own way, let me or Jaye Lindo know by June 1 and we would LOVE to have you join us.
Last week I finished a book called "Stuff Christians Like." If you are lighthearted, enjoy laughing, appreciate sarcasm, and have been around the church for a number of years, you would find this book refreshing and hilarious. Blogger John Acuff began the site, Stuff Christians Like as a mock of the popular "Stuff White People Like." After blogging enough, he put the best content into a book.
Acuff brings out some funny stuff addressing everything from:
The players in a prayer circle- giving them each a name/position
The kind of car a Pastor should drive
The truth about Christians and alcohol
Love Offerings
Missions trip boyfriends, girlfriends and souvenirs that don't match your house
Campfire testimonials
The entire thing is a hoot. There are about 4 pages of seriousness in the whole book, so only get it if you are ready to laugh-- and laugh at yourself.
I said that we would take some time to share some of the powerful ways that God has been at work in our family over the last few months. I love to be open in my communication. I'm not a very private person. As you can imagine, this last few months has been challenging--to hold all this stuff in until the appropriate time to share it.
Well, check this out:
Tricia and I knew that the Lord was calling us on in mid-February. We quickly realized that we needed to move out of our house as soon as possible. Here's why:
Save money for where God is taking us.
Practice quick and courageous obedience. It kinda felt like a symbol of commitment to the Lord-- saying "YES, we will go!"
We thought maybe it was best not to go from 2,700 square feet to who-knows-what in South Africa. Trying to avoid (at least some) culture shock.
We did not need all the space in our house. God has been doing a work on us in this way.
We are blessed with many local family and friends that would let us stay on their front porch. ;-0
Finally, we figured moving out of our house 8 months before actually leaving for the mission field would make the leaving easier. We will have already grieved some of our loss.
So, we put our house up for rent, got some outstanding tenants, and moved out of our house in 8 days!! We did not intend to do it that fast, but the tenants we got were being relocated by the government and needed occupancy April 1. So, yes...we have been out of our house since March 30th. We sold over half of our earthly possessions and stored the rest. We are living in a bedroom at my sister's home and we are as happy as we could be! Davis even has a cool under-the-stairs play area (like a fort)! God has really blessed every step of this process with favor and peace.
There are several more AMAZING components to this story that I will blog later...
I totally enjoy using social networking sites for building community, strengthening connections, communicating information and investing for God's kingdom! Although, I have caught some criticism for my usage (some think over-usage), I have stayed the course and continued to believe that if used right, social networks are a tool with massive potential for good. I keep watching it pay off over and over again!
So, over the last year or two, I have had multiple requests from folks to teach them about Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, etc. I am no expert by any means. But, I have decided to lead a little gathering (with some others that I have asked to help me) where I will teach some of the basics of this stuff and show you how to connect to your church. This is something that I will totally enjoy dedicating an evening to!!
So, you are cordially invited to join me!
Date: Thursday, May 27th
Time: 7:00pm
Location: CCF Upper Room
Note: you can come whether you are already on these sites or not! We will have some fun and learn what we can!
Oh yeah, send me an email, message me or call me of you plan to come.
Last night at our District Pastors meeting, we looked a Luke 4-- the story of Jesus being poorly received in his Hometown. On of the parallel accounts of this same story is in Mark 6. Here in the beginning of Mark 6, we see Jesus being treated very differently in his hood than he had in other towns. We see comments made such as:
Where did this man get these things?
Where did his wisdom come from?
Isn't this the carpenter?
Isn't this Mary's son?
Isn't this the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?
Aren't his sisters here with us?
They were basically saying, who does this guy think he is? He is just one of us. Surely, he can't do these things.
Jesus quickly identified the problem by saying "only in his hometown is a Prophet without honor." Then, there is this stunning phrase where Jesus is "amazed at their lack of faith." It takes a lot to amaze Jesus. And I'm guessing this was not a "good-amazed"!
While sharing about this story last night, Richard Showalter (EMM President) shared a profound insight with me:
Have we made Jesus a "hometown boy"? Have Christians in America so familiarized him that we have lame duck'd Jesus and doubted his power among us? We've made "Jesus is my homeboy" t-shirts and made him so "relevant" that it seems to flirt with familiarization. We need to watch this.
He is not just Jesus! He is JESUS, the king of kings, the lord of lords, the savior of our souls and the author and finisher of our faith.
Lord, help us protect against making Jesus a Hometown boy and doubting his power among us!
As you probably know from yesterday's announcement, posts and blog, God has called our family to respond to a call to join some church-planting initiatives South Africa. This discernment process has been a blast! Honestly. Scary, yes! But so fun to see God at work so clearly.
This week, I want to share some various components of our story in hopes that it will inspire and impact you to go for God in new ways too!
For years now, the Lord has been developing this call into rethinking church. If we had launched into it too early, that would have been a mistake. We needed more maturity, life lessons and growth before this moment could begin. Throughout the last year the call has strengthened and intensified. But, the process had to go like this:
Surrender first! Admit what the Lord is saying and stirring and confess your willingness to follow him regardless of your fear and your questions.
Details second. We told God we would leave BEFORE we had any idea where we were going! Some of you may think this is crazy. And it is. But, it is what the Lord required of us.
I think there is a message here for many of us. There are times that the Lord calls to release control & surrender...say YES...without all the details and without all the answers. Then, once we pass that test, the reward comes in the form of divine clarity.
Tricia and I have been waiting for this day for several months...the day when we could freely share with you some huge things that God is doing in our lives! God has been up to some major things in our family throughout the last year. For quite some time now, we have sensed the Lord calling us into the next season of our life and ministry. This morning, the news was shared with our church.
In January 2011, our family will be relocating to Cape Town, South Africa! Yes, you read that right. Eastern Mennonite Missions (our church's mission sending organization) has invited us to be sent to link into a growing church-planting network called All Nations. You may remember Floyd McClung who spoke at CCF on January 31, 2010 (a snowy Sunday). Floyd and his wife Sally lead All Nations. All Nations is a family of communities, working together across the globe, partnering with the Holy Spirit to plant churches in homes, businesses or anywhere Jesus is not worshipped. All Nations desires to not only plant churches, but to initiate church-planting movements (video below). You can check out their website HERE.
The goal of this sending is that we will serve as a collaborative bridge between All Nations and Eastern Mennonite Missions—learning from one another about effective ways of transforming people for Christ. We will participate, learn, and communicate back to our network (Eastern Mennonite Missions, Lancaster Conference, Baltimore/Washington District, and CCF) about new ways of being and doing church.
Currently the plan is to spend six months in an intensive church-planting training called Church Planting Experience (CPx). Then we will reside in Cape Town for one to two years ministering to some of the poorest and most neglected an unreached of the city. Tricia is especially excited about the ways that we will be working with, rescuing, and caring for sick and abandoned children.
Serving and leading at Capital Christian Fellowship for the last six years has been an outstanding privilege and one of the greatest joys of our life. CCF will always hold a special place in our hearts. If we had it our way, we envisioned spending many years leading here. However, the Lord has a different plan for now…a call that has been revealed, strengthened, and one that we must obey.
It is one thing to talk about “living as Disciples,” it is another to do it. We hope that this transition will inspire many of you to new levels of possibility and faith. Over the last few years (more intensely in the last six months), God has strengthened and crystallized a call on our lives to rethink and imagine church in new and creative ways. Although the future is unclear, there is a strong and evident call into new territory and new vision for God’s Kingdom.
We will be both remain connected, invested and on Staff at CCF until the latter part of this year. We will be sharing lots more throughout this week. Stay tuned.
Yesterday I finished reading "The Christian Atheist" by Craig Groeschel. 
