The Rollercoaster

I am so blessed to be at Charter Oak Church. I can't imagine getting to do what I do any where else. How cool is it to be a part of a church that is growing and is becoming more and more known in the community. There is a buzz about what we are doing at our current location and an even bigger buzz about our new church.

It was awesome to have 6 families join us this past weekend as first time visitors. I met one family after one of our worship services and it was amazing to hear how they found their way here and what their response was after being here just one time.

It was also heart wrenching to see such a huge drop in attendance this past weekend after such a great Easter celebration. I'm still trying to work out in my head and heart what my reaction should be to this drop off. I don't know.

I am also dealing with the reaction of some people as I was speaking this weekend when I talked about some of the really tough things Jesus taught about forgiveness or the lack there of. I could see in some people's faces just a sense of disbelief that this was true. When I said that when we pray the Lord's Pray we are asking God to forgive us the same way we forgive other people, there were some jaws dropping. Then when I said that the parable of the king and the servant represents us and the way the king treated the unforgiving servant is the way God will treat us if we are unforgiving - there was one lady who looked like she was ready to walk out. God's word is sharp as a sword when it talks to us personally. Going deeper can be painful.

This past weekend I also was priviledged to witness the launching of our First Impressions Team and the training that went on with it. What a great display of a group of people who are gifted by God and passionate about a ministry. I've done all the reading on this ministry and went to the church that started it, but I was wowed by our people. You guys rock!

There are so many awesome things happening around here. There are also a handful of things that make me...just...wonder...how does all of this come together and what is God trying to teach me? I'm spending a lot of time in prayer this week.