Grounding, Calling & Sending = LIFE

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them . . . As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Joshua 1:1–2, 5–6

Why ground your lives in the narrative of God? Because it is only in this grounding that our story can have the fullness that God intended it to. It is only in this grounding that we can move into the world with the healing that comes through God’s healed people.

That’s why the Church exist. That’s why Creekside exists. That’s why God has always had a people, called and blessed and sent to be a blessing. As we ground our life in God’s narrative,

he molds us, we learn to hear his voice and move in obedience to that voice. Without such grounding, our lives are untethered, unconnected and ultimately underwhelming. Jesus said, “I have come that you would have abundant life, more and better life than you ever imagined.” (John 10:10) Is that your expectation for your life? For many it is not. Many settle for less, for the known and the familiar. But when we center our lives in God’s narrative, he gives us the ability to hear his voice and his call to the places where our healing is connected into the healing of the world — and then the choice is ours what we do with that.

God has been doing a work in my life over the past several years as he has broken my heart over the plight of the poor and marginalized — those who have no voice, who can’t speak out, are oppressed, discarded or forgotten. His work in me didn’t come overnight, but piece by piece, step by step — that’s how he works.

As I have grounded myself in his narrative he has been urging me to move more fully into coming alongside the poor and equally importantly to use my gifts, talents, time and energy to equip and launch other missionaries to the poor, missionaries mined from the pews of our churches and sent to incarnate Jesus. Imagine with me for a moment if 10 people in 100 churches heard God’s call to the poor; 1000 new people, new hours, new money, new advocate and activists giving voice to the voiceless, giving presence to the invisible as they say with their actions, “I see you.”

10 people in 100 churches is easy. What about 20 in 200? 50 in 500? We are called to be salt and light adding God flavoring to a bland world and color to black and white canvas. What if people were empowered, equipped and launched into the mission that God uniquely designed for them? The Church has the power to change the world.

As Kelly and I have been at Creekside these past 6.5 years we have developed a great love for the people who call Creekside home. We have seen many who have experienced just this and been transformed even as they move as transformers in the worlds broken places. It is so exciting and it will only continue to grow. As Kelly and I move out at the end of the year to broaden that impact we do so grounded and seeking greater grounding in God’s narrative. It is new territory we will be traveling, but God is with us, and he is with Creekside.

The future is wide open and ripe with opportunities to move with God. Climb aboard, there is always room for more.

Peace, hope and love, Doug