A new focus

One of the things we thought would be immediately different in our new venture from our experience in LaGrange was a decreased number of friends in our home.  I mean that was our life, especially on Sundays for the last 4 years in LaGrange.  What we've since learned is that hospitality is going to be the cornerstones of our life here, too.  We've had more family/friend visitors than I'd expected in the first month of living here.  This is a good thing.  We love it.  I guess I thought we'd have more of our house completely in place before many of our guests arrived.  I thought wrong!  And we are always open to visitors from points north or south (just if you want to stay the night you may want to call about vacancy first)

The past few weeks have given me more opportunity to think about what this new church will look like, what its passions and dreams and foundations will be.  It's looking more like we won't be named Restoration Church, but that's okay (and btw it's still our business name, so if you're sending donations, please put that on the donation because otherwise the bank will not take it, haha)  I think restoration will always be our purpose, our desired end.  Right now we're going a little more bland.  We are Exit14church.  I love it.  When you see that exit sign on the interstate, you may know a few options that are on that new stretch of road, but there's pretty much limitless possibilities on that exit.  Anything could be out there as you drive towards the horizon.  I feel that way about our church plant right now.

For now, here's what I know.  Here's who God is revealing us to be, and as God forms us into something else, something more, that horizon will be reached down the road.

• God is calling us to be a Community of healthy individuals and families (spiritually, physically, emotionally, financially, relationally)
  
• Who live out the way of Jesus (as His disciples, committed to His saving grace as well as his living/dying example)
• As a movement for good in the world. (We are an active part as followers of Jesus in restoring the world to the way God intended it from the beginning. We aren't perfect, but we are being perfected and should extend that work into the world)

Please note we are not watering down the gospel, forsaking evangelism or mainlining toward some liberal theology.  Rather, the essence of the scriptures I think boil down to these ideologies.  Interrelationships.  Holistic health.  Practiced discipleship.  Serving and giving of ourselves.  So these are the "who"s, who we are being called to be.  Some of the "why"s are self-evident, they just need to be put into clear language that is easily readable/speakable.  It's the "how"s that we aim to ingest and experience and then disseminate into the community that will gather with us.  I hope that you are praying even now for the men, women and children this will include.  I hope that in some ways, our church will be the simplest in the community, that we will strip away and resist everything that doesn't contribute to this mission of living out the example of Jesus in our lives and in our church.  I sense that God is beginning to laser in our focus and our purpose, and we are pleading with Him to make His desires a reality in and through us.