Pursuit

This post from Matt Chandler, pastor of Village Church in Dallas, TX deals largely in the realm of church planting, but one part of the post really captured the heart of my forthcoming move and transition.

"The truth is I didn’t become the pastor of a church in the suburbs of Dallas because I had a grand vision for growing a dynamic, life-transforming, church-planting, Gospel-preaching, God-centered church. I took the position because after a great deal of conversations, prayers and fasting, my wife and I felt it was the direction God, through the Holy Spirit, was leading us. I came to The Village because I thought that by doing so I would get to see more of Him, experience more of Him, sense more of Him, see more of me die, more of my flesh perish, the old man in me lose more power…He is the great end that I am after. He is why. In 1 Timothy 4:10 Paul writes 'For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.' I love that verse. We toil, yes. We strive, yes, but where is our hope? What, or rather, who is the goal? I love preaching the Gospel and I love planting churches but I do those things because in them there is this unbearable weight of His presence. This crushing majesty that makes me want to cry, sing and scream all at the same time."

And this, in short, are the best words to describe why I would leave it all behind. I love NewSpring. I do. But the greater work of God these days is IN me. The work THROUGH me, by the mercy and grace of God, will be an uncontainable outpouring of a heart shaved of pride, selfish ambition and apathy.

And I can't wait...

Favorite thing today: There is nothing in me that can afford these, but I think I literally heard the green/blue pair singing to me from the pages of the JCrew catalogue. These are much more in line with my budget and, in fact, I am wearing them today!