I recently had an epiphany of sorts about marriage. Probably something the rest of the world knows but I’m slow sometimes. In the day to day stresses and ups and downs of life, parenting and ministry I forget that my true marital commitment is to Dave. The person Dave. Not some ideal of marriage, not primarily to the call we share to the city and building the Kingdom, not even to the children God has blessed us with. Years ago when we took our vows I vowed to be faithful to him in sickness, health, poverty, wealth, etc. This means that I may not be happy with choices he makes or moods he is in or where life has brought us. And I’ll bet there are days when it is the same for him. But we have a commitment to each other so I may change and he may change and we work on making it work. A commitment to a person, not just a relationship or institution. People are tricky, messy and unpredictable.
Because the other side of it is that there are days when things just click. When I think I can’t ever love someone an ounce more and I feel so amazingly blessed that someone would put up with me 24/7 for the rest of his life. When he knows me so well it’s eerie and we look ahead with hope. These things sustain the commitment we made and refresh our love for each other. In the good times I remember how amazing marriage is and I’m grateful for sticking out the tough times because ultimately Dave is a better husband than I could have designed before I really understood what marriage entails.
So this got me thinking about my relationship with God. Since Dave and I are called to reflect this beautiful love my misunderstanding at times damages my relationship with God. My biggest weakness here is seeing God as a cause. I’ve always wanted to “change the world” and at 17, one of the things that attracted me to the gospel was this sense of being part of something bigger. Seeing that I was too small to save the world and in fact needed saving myself. This was a calling worth surrendering everything to. This God cared for the weak, saw the plight of the poor, held the whole broken earth in His hands – this was a God I could serve.
And to the best if my abilities, time and treasure I’ve tried to. But here’s the rub – serving God doesn’t always feel like saving the world or being part of some big, grand cause. Sometimes the sacrifices feel too great and the path seems winding and foggy and not at all like doing something exciting and redeeming. Sometimes it’s drudgery, exhaustion and frustration. Sometimes it feels scary and uncertain and not at all what I expected when I started on this path.
So I find myself getting back to the heart of what it means to follow God. To follow God when I am not happy with where He’s brought me in life and not happy with His silence or the way He is answering my prayers. It’s significantly different than marriage because He is perfect and Dave, for all his wonderfulness, isn’t. But my relationship with God is similarly broken and in need of a reminder that when I gave my life over to Jesus 19 years ago this month it wasn’t to a cause or institution, it was to a Person. A kind, loving, sovereign God who sees a big picture I don’t see. A God who wants to give me life abundant and calls me friend. A God who cares less what I accomplish to save the world and more that I just keep loving Him and pointing others to Him in my own broken way. This is a God to stick with. How thankful I am for His love.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Another Beginning...
Here's a church planting update from Dave...
I’ve always loved the beginning of things. There’s something about the endless possibilities that intoxicates me. During my days with IV the fall was my favorite time of the year. Dreaming about new possibilities on campus, meeting new students, months of plans now ready to begin to take shape.
So it is with this same excitement that we mark the beginning of a new movement here in San Francisco: Underground:San Francisco.
As most of you know we are planting a campus-centered church at San Francisco State called Matrix. Matrix isn’t a traditional church but instead we envision a group of micro-churches planted in living spaces and by affinity groups. It is a slow process that will be built on relationships, planting one micro-church at a time. We have started meeting people on campus and have quite a few contacts that we are cultivating.
But the Underground is not a church - it’s a network of churches. The original Underground is located in Tampa and they planted a new network in St. Petersburg, FL. There are plans to start new networks in Germany, Haiti, Manilla and San Francisco. Find out more here…http://www.undergroundglobal.org/
Our working definition for Underground:San Francisco is as follows…
Underground:San Francisco is a network that encourages and equips ministries first and foremost. Our goal is to be a support system for SF ministries in every way possible. We offer our network to encourage, support, equip, relate and empathize. We desire to provide leadership, direction and resources for the network but exist to serve the micro-churches, not to be served.
San Francisco is a unique city. It’s divided into neighborhoods that each has their own unique culture. It’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of city. San Francisco requires relational time and effort. Because of this we believe that San Francisco is the perfect place for a web of micro-churches that are connected yet autonomous. San Francisco is a difficult place to do ministry and through the Underground we desire to create a community that equips, encourages and supports those who do mission here San Francisco.
The purpose of the Underground is both church planting and missional community. As a friend puts it, we long to find the cracks and crevices that have been missed in our city and release mission into those places while maintaining community with those that are sent out.
In other words, the Underground will inspire individuals to mission, connect individuals to missional communities, empower communities to discover and obey their God given mission and equip and release those communities into mission.
I am renewed by the idea of inspiring, connecting, empowering, equipping and releasing. For a while I felt a bit lost, not really knowing what my role was in the big picture. But today I am excited and motivated by this new challenge.
One of the things I love about the Underground is that its main purpose it to bless, not receive. There are no fees, dues or any sort of financial commitment from the micro-churches. With that comes the challenge sustaining a long-term director for the Underground. San Francisco is not a cheap place to live and we understand that sacrifices will be made in order for us to be here. But we believe the benefits of seeing missional communities released into this great city far outweigh the sacrifices we make to live here.
We have started a non-profit called the Church Network Hub which we launched a little over a year ago and is doing well. We believe the Hub will continue to grow and allow us some financial flexibility but we still need to supplement that income to make a livable wage in San Francisco.
So we are in search of partners that will support the work of both Matrix and the Underground here in San Francisco. All funds will go to cover salary and expenses and are tax deductible.
We are looking into other methods of giving, but for now checks can be mailed to…
Tampa Underground
Underground:San Francisco in the memo line
1300 E. 7th Ave
Tampa, FL. 33605
We are trusting God in this new endeavor and believe He is faithful.
I’ve always loved the beginning of things. There’s something about the endless possibilities that intoxicates me. During my days with IV the fall was my favorite time of the year. Dreaming about new possibilities on campus, meeting new students, months of plans now ready to begin to take shape.
So it is with this same excitement that we mark the beginning of a new movement here in San Francisco: Underground:San Francisco.
As most of you know we are planting a campus-centered church at San Francisco State called Matrix. Matrix isn’t a traditional church but instead we envision a group of micro-churches planted in living spaces and by affinity groups. It is a slow process that will be built on relationships, planting one micro-church at a time. We have started meeting people on campus and have quite a few contacts that we are cultivating.
But the Underground is not a church - it’s a network of churches. The original Underground is located in Tampa and they planted a new network in St. Petersburg, FL. There are plans to start new networks in Germany, Haiti, Manilla and San Francisco. Find out more here…http://www.undergroundglobal.org/
Our working definition for Underground:San Francisco is as follows…
Underground:San Francisco is a network that encourages and equips ministries first and foremost. Our goal is to be a support system for SF ministries in every way possible. We offer our network to encourage, support, equip, relate and empathize. We desire to provide leadership, direction and resources for the network but exist to serve the micro-churches, not to be served.
San Francisco is a unique city. It’s divided into neighborhoods that each has their own unique culture. It’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of city. San Francisco requires relational time and effort. Because of this we believe that San Francisco is the perfect place for a web of micro-churches that are connected yet autonomous. San Francisco is a difficult place to do ministry and through the Underground we desire to create a community that equips, encourages and supports those who do mission here San Francisco.
The purpose of the Underground is both church planting and missional community. As a friend puts it, we long to find the cracks and crevices that have been missed in our city and release mission into those places while maintaining community with those that are sent out.
In other words, the Underground will inspire individuals to mission, connect individuals to missional communities, empower communities to discover and obey their God given mission and equip and release those communities into mission.
I am renewed by the idea of inspiring, connecting, empowering, equipping and releasing. For a while I felt a bit lost, not really knowing what my role was in the big picture. But today I am excited and motivated by this new challenge.
One of the things I love about the Underground is that its main purpose it to bless, not receive. There are no fees, dues or any sort of financial commitment from the micro-churches. With that comes the challenge sustaining a long-term director for the Underground. San Francisco is not a cheap place to live and we understand that sacrifices will be made in order for us to be here. But we believe the benefits of seeing missional communities released into this great city far outweigh the sacrifices we make to live here.
We have started a non-profit called the Church Network Hub which we launched a little over a year ago and is doing well. We believe the Hub will continue to grow and allow us some financial flexibility but we still need to supplement that income to make a livable wage in San Francisco.
So we are in search of partners that will support the work of both Matrix and the Underground here in San Francisco. All funds will go to cover salary and expenses and are tax deductible.
We are looking into other methods of giving, but for now checks can be mailed to…
Tampa Underground
Underground:San Francisco in the memo line
1300 E. 7th Ave
Tampa, FL. 33605
We are trusting God in this new endeavor and believe He is faithful.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Reflections on prayer
So I’m relaxing on
Often I pray out of a deeply felt need or frustration over something. I believe God loves praying out of brokenness – Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. But with a little distance from the daily rush of life, I’m realizing that often I just want to feel better about whatever situation I’m praying about. Or I just want it to be easier to live a faithful, ministry focused life. Or I have an agenda of what I would like to see happen and I’m asking God to make that happen. I’m not really seeking what God is doing, or how I can be obedient in this situation or any steps of obedience He wants me to take. I just want it all to go away or find some security or feel better about the way my life is going. Yuck. I wish I could say my motives were nobler.
Perhaps that is why God so often brings up situations or issues that keep me on my knees. If things were actually easy and I felt secure I wouldn’t be there very often because I’d be breezing along thinking I was doing a great job completely ignoring the lessons God was teaching me or the ways He is shaping my character. And I must say, while that way sounds more fun, being kept on my knees generally on a daily basis yields more fruit. Somewhere in the garbled, selfish, not-quite-pure prayers God finds something beautiful in me and what He is doing. And even if I am pushing my own agenda or asking for something that isn’t possible God still works gently into what He wants for me. So I'll keep seeking in my shaky, sporadic, imperfect way.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Reading journals.....
I have loved to keep a journal since I could first write. I have one from about 1st grade when I was apparently very angry at my dad for going on a business trip. All I wrote was, "Papa came home. Stupid Papa came home." Poor guy. Just doing his job and I get upset with him. I have stacks and stacks of those pretty diaries (on the outside, not always so pretty inside I must admit).
"We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago." Psalm 44:2
Now I just use a binder with lots of sections. Like the Israelites told stories and built altars to remind themselves and their children of God's faithfulness, my scribbles are my reminders - of God's faithfulness and all He has done in my life. This is helpful because I am very forgetful. Give me a difficult day and I get all whiny about the uncertainty of life and how I continually feel like a failure in living a godly, loving life. Yet, how can I read about these things without being awed at God's faithfulness?
It might not look like we dream. It might take longer than we would like. It will be a tough fight sometimes. But I'm making sure to jot down my random thoughts and disjointed prayer requests and I'm looking forward to looking back on them years from now and smiling at God's faithfulness and sharing them with our children. Because I'm sure I'll forget by then but I know He is faithful. I'm trying to keep that in mind - being uncertain of the future means it might be better than I expect not the difficulties I fear. The past certainly has been.
"We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago." Psalm 44:2
Now I just use a binder with lots of sections. Like the Israelites told stories and built altars to remind themselves and their children of God's faithfulness, my scribbles are my reminders - of God's faithfulness and all He has done in my life. This is helpful because I am very forgetful. Give me a difficult day and I get all whiny about the uncertainty of life and how I continually feel like a failure in living a godly, loving life. Yet, how can I read about these things without being awed at God's faithfulness?
- In high school, when I loved looking down on my Christian friends and arguing with them He gently drew my heart to Him.
- In college, when I felt lost and confused I found myself with a godly, loving roommate.
- When I graduated and headed off to Ukraine, having no idea what I was doing with my life He brought Dave into the picture.
- When we landed in Sarasota not knowing a soul, He raised up a fruitful ministry and loving supporters, colleagues and friends.
- When we dreamed of having a house where we could live in community with students we found ourselves with one that we were blessed to live in for 12 years.
- God has blessed us with two wonderful, precious lives to care for and enjoy and another to hold when we get to heaven.
- When we needed almost $12,000 to travel with 5 students to Tajikistan He provided every last penny. And brought everyone home safely.
- When we sought him through 2 years of wilderness for what to do next he prepared us and provided for us to miraculously get to San Francisco, provide us a place to live, and raise up the Hub out of nothing.
It might not look like we dream. It might take longer than we would like. It will be a tough fight sometimes. But I'm making sure to jot down my random thoughts and disjointed prayer requests and I'm looking forward to looking back on them years from now and smiling at God's faithfulness and sharing them with our children. Because I'm sure I'll forget by then but I know He is faithful. I'm trying to keep that in mind - being uncertain of the future means it might be better than I expect not the difficulties I fear. The past certainly has been.
Friday, July 23, 2010
The difference 15 years makes
It feels hard to believe but it was about 15 years ago when we felt the tug of our hearts towards the college campuses of Sarasota. We didn't know what we were getting into or where it would lead, we just knew that there were students who weren't being reached and that we were willing to step out to do something about it. Over the next 10ish years, we saw God raise up dozens of students as Bible study leaders, led several on the path to following Jesus who hadn't been there before, traveled overseas with students multiple times, found a huge house to live with students as well as provide for all we needed over those years.
So now we are looking at engaging in similar pioneer work at a campus here in a new city. We know God has been at work there and will continue to be and we are taking similar steps of faith - not sure what it will look like, who it will involve or how our needs and the needs of the ministry will be met. But taking steps of faith like this when we are in our late 30's feels quite different from our early 20's. Here are some of the differences I'm (Brook) noticing these days:
The stakes feel higher Doing something crazy when you are just married and only responsible for yourself felt a little different that when you have two kids. The responsibility for those little lives and the fact that our choices impact them weighs heavily on me sometimes. Pursuing this path may mean a smaller college fund, less summer camps, less travel, maybe less opportunity. I often lay hands on their peaceful heads as they sleep at night and wonder about those things. Dave often reminds me that, "If we are about the right things, our kids will see that." Living a little on the edge reminds me what is important to teach my children - to take steps of faith and respond to God's leading. If they learn that, the lack of swimming lessons doesn't seem like such a big deal. I don't believe their lives will lack adventure and I'd rather them see lives lived faithfully and in obedience than have the best the world can offer. But I often hate that I have to make tough decisions and frequently say "no" to things I wish I could say "yes" to.
To some extent, I have a more realistic picture of ministry life When i was 22 and just married, hopes and dreams came easily. I had grand pictures of what a fruitful ministry could look like and what it would be like to live like a missionary. In some ways, the real joys of ministry have surpassed what I expected. The joy of praying with someone to receive new life or seeing God do miracles to provide for tremendous need can't be surpassed by any success the world offers. On the other side, the battle has often been more intense than I expected. A broken heart at someone I've come to love make bad choices or seeing someone I've prayed for for years continue to turn away from God's drawing have almost been too much to bear at times. So the deeper picture comes with both happy anticipation and fear. God is still the same God that did miracles then and there is no reason to doubt Him now. I've been praying for God's dreams and deep, genuine love for the people of San Francisco and specifically this campus will surpass any fear that might take root in my heart. I can no longer live off youthful enthusiasm, God has to grow a deep love for His people and purposes. A love that surpasses the fear of failure or hurt. I believe He can do this.
I care less about what other people think. This is something God has been breaking me of for quite a while. In the early days of getting on campus and introducing myself to people, I equated them liking be with being receptive to the gospel. Older and wiser, I feel more and more that I can take myself out of the picture and just keep praying Jesus shines through. Before I was a follower of Jesus, one of the things that attracted me to a faith community was the freedom to love my friends seemed to feel. I'm praying that this will be attractive to those who are lost we might meet in this community.
I feel like we are living on the edge - we can't see what the future holds. But I'm doing my best to embrace that fully. Even as I grow older and lose much of the idealism of my youth, I never want to become too security-centered and fearful to take steps where God is leading. He has been faithful all these years, there is no reason to believe things will change now. It just looks a little murkier from this side of 35 than from the other side. :)
So now we are looking at engaging in similar pioneer work at a campus here in a new city. We know God has been at work there and will continue to be and we are taking similar steps of faith - not sure what it will look like, who it will involve or how our needs and the needs of the ministry will be met. But taking steps of faith like this when we are in our late 30's feels quite different from our early 20's. Here are some of the differences I'm (Brook) noticing these days:
The stakes feel higher Doing something crazy when you are just married and only responsible for yourself felt a little different that when you have two kids. The responsibility for those little lives and the fact that our choices impact them weighs heavily on me sometimes. Pursuing this path may mean a smaller college fund, less summer camps, less travel, maybe less opportunity. I often lay hands on their peaceful heads as they sleep at night and wonder about those things. Dave often reminds me that, "If we are about the right things, our kids will see that." Living a little on the edge reminds me what is important to teach my children - to take steps of faith and respond to God's leading. If they learn that, the lack of swimming lessons doesn't seem like such a big deal. I don't believe their lives will lack adventure and I'd rather them see lives lived faithfully and in obedience than have the best the world can offer. But I often hate that I have to make tough decisions and frequently say "no" to things I wish I could say "yes" to.
To some extent, I have a more realistic picture of ministry life When i was 22 and just married, hopes and dreams came easily. I had grand pictures of what a fruitful ministry could look like and what it would be like to live like a missionary. In some ways, the real joys of ministry have surpassed what I expected. The joy of praying with someone to receive new life or seeing God do miracles to provide for tremendous need can't be surpassed by any success the world offers. On the other side, the battle has often been more intense than I expected. A broken heart at someone I've come to love make bad choices or seeing someone I've prayed for for years continue to turn away from God's drawing have almost been too much to bear at times. So the deeper picture comes with both happy anticipation and fear. God is still the same God that did miracles then and there is no reason to doubt Him now. I've been praying for God's dreams and deep, genuine love for the people of San Francisco and specifically this campus will surpass any fear that might take root in my heart. I can no longer live off youthful enthusiasm, God has to grow a deep love for His people and purposes. A love that surpasses the fear of failure or hurt. I believe He can do this.
I care less about what other people think. This is something God has been breaking me of for quite a while. In the early days of getting on campus and introducing myself to people, I equated them liking be with being receptive to the gospel. Older and wiser, I feel more and more that I can take myself out of the picture and just keep praying Jesus shines through. Before I was a follower of Jesus, one of the things that attracted me to a faith community was the freedom to love my friends seemed to feel. I'm praying that this will be attractive to those who are lost we might meet in this community.
I feel like we are living on the edge - we can't see what the future holds. But I'm doing my best to embrace that fully. Even as I grow older and lose much of the idealism of my youth, I never want to become too security-centered and fearful to take steps where God is leading. He has been faithful all these years, there is no reason to believe things will change now. It just looks a little murkier from this side of 35 than from the other side. :)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
A change in tone
So I've been reflecting on a couple things lately (this is Brook writing). One is making this blog a more honest reflection of what ministry, and more specifically ministry in San Francisco, is like on a daily basis. Having written LOTS of prayer letters and update emails over our many years of ministry, the inclination is always to share the good stuff - the progress we are making, the vision God has given us, the ways He has provided, the needs we have. But as many of us know, there is another side to ministry...and parenting...and life. The daily ups and downs, the doubt about where God is leading, the embattled feeling. I've been reading a friend's blog who writes about parenting a special needs child and while her situation is different from mine, I find myself drawn to her honesty and encouraged by the hope she finds in the daily ups and downs of her life. Maybe because it affirms what I've been realizing with stunning clarity the last month - things will not be better this side of heaven. Not that we don't heal, or we don't have hope, or we don't experience joy. But that the sooner I accept that there isn't some magic super-spiritual place where I'm going to make all the right choices and never lose my temper and never get discouraged the less disappointed I will feel when my day doesn't go well or I fail at being the woman of God I feel called to be.
We all put our best face forward for each other so I often look around and think everyone else must be sliding through life effortlessly, what's wrong with me? I was on my knees the other night after a tiring day when I felt i had failed at the most basic task of just being kind to my sweet husband and sweeter children. I asked God to take some pressure off, give me a break, make it easier somehow. Then I felt His comforting hand and He asked me, "Are you better than everyone else that I should make things easy? How else do I get you here with Me?" It was humbling. I want to stay in that place without the hard stuff but I'm seeing that isn't possible. When things feel easy, I don't pay much attention to God.
So now I'm wondering if more of us were like my friend who blogs so honestly about her journey as a mom we wouldn't feel so alone. We still expect God to answer prayers and have praise requests to report but maybe I'll share some other parts of the roller coaster ride that is church planting. And perhaps in the process, we will all look forward to heaven more when every tear will be dried, every burden lifted, every wound healed and every dream fulfilled. And many of the lost friends and neighbors we work and pray and weep over will be there with us. What a glorious day that will be.
We all put our best face forward for each other so I often look around and think everyone else must be sliding through life effortlessly, what's wrong with me? I was on my knees the other night after a tiring day when I felt i had failed at the most basic task of just being kind to my sweet husband and sweeter children. I asked God to take some pressure off, give me a break, make it easier somehow. Then I felt His comforting hand and He asked me, "Are you better than everyone else that I should make things easy? How else do I get you here with Me?" It was humbling. I want to stay in that place without the hard stuff but I'm seeing that isn't possible. When things feel easy, I don't pay much attention to God.
So now I'm wondering if more of us were like my friend who blogs so honestly about her journey as a mom we wouldn't feel so alone. We still expect God to answer prayers and have praise requests to report but maybe I'll share some other parts of the roller coaster ride that is church planting. And perhaps in the process, we will all look forward to heaven more when every tear will be dried, every burden lifted, every wound healed and every dream fulfilled. And many of the lost friends and neighbors we work and pray and weep over will be there with us. What a glorious day that will be.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Supporting the Matrix @ San Francisco State
Thank you for your interest in supporting the Matrix at
As someone that has signed up to support us in one way or another, we wanted to share with you four different ways you can help.
1. Pray for us – There is quite a bit to be done between now and then and I wanted to fill you in on a couple of prayer requests.
· Please pray for a way for us to be on campus without having to go through a bunch of red tape. Whether that is by joining up with another group already on campus or some other way, it’s vital that we find an “in”.
· Pray that we meet freshmen that are willing to host in the dorms. We are hoping to start at least one group in every living space (dorms and apartments) and finding freshmen willing to host a group is crucial.
2. Join our team - If you are local, let us know if you can help or know someone that can. We are praying for a local team to work with us, both students and non-students. To start, we are looking for people willing to lead groups in the dorms.
3. Send a team - We are looking for mission teams that would come and help with events on campus. August 19th would be a great time to be here to help with freshman move-in day. Also, if you know anyone locally that might be able to volunteer or help, please let us know.
4. Support financially – Much like our days with InterVarsity, we are looking to build a team of supporters that will give to enable Dave to be on campus as much as possible. Our goal is to raise $4000 per month. If you are able to give monthly or a one-time gift please let us know. Our local sending church has set up a fund for us so all donations will be tax deductible.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Catching up and moving forward
This past Saturday, we celebrated a full year of living in California. Old friends (a friend from Baldwin high on Maui, one of the students we knew during New College ministry days) and new (even a couple we hadn't met who are moving here next month) gathered for a peanut-butter and chocolate themed evening. It was amazing to see all the wonderful people God has brought into our lives while we have been here!
So what has our experience been like this last year? Good question since we are waaayyyy overdue for an update. Which shows that mostly it has been a blur of new sights, people, experiences and just learning how to live day to day here. Some things God has affirmed:
God brought us to the right place. San Francisco felt like home very quickly. It's a beautiful place full of creative energy and the diversity makes us feel like we could have a Global Project every weekend.
God is growing our love for this place. We increasingly love the city, its people, its diversity and church planting network here.
There is a great need for relevant, faithful expressions of the gospel in the city. One of the dreams I've heard from church planters that have been here for years is that there would be a day when the Christians in San Francisco don't all know each other! There are some amazing things happening but also a lot of lost people.
The last year has been restoring. The last two years we were in Florida were a wilderness experience as we were seeking God for what He had next. We lost much of our passion for the lost and enthusiasm for the Kingdom of God. We feel like God has been renewing that passion that here in San Francisco. And in the midst of that, we can look back at those wilderness years and start to see how He was working to prepare us for being in this city and on this path.
Looking ahead......
Ever since we moved here college students keep coming up. The house we rented is quite close to San Francisco State University. Dave led a seminar at a conference on reaching college students and we ran into some college summer missionaries that were in the Bay Area last summer. There are over 200,000 college students just in San Francisco alone. At a recent conference that Dave attended, the question was asked "who are you called to?". After a couple of months of reflecting it was clear that after moving 3,000 miles across the country our love of the college campus remains.
The details are still being worked through, but the basic idea is to start a church in the area surrounding San Francisco State. The church will look different than most traditional churches in the sense that we won't start with a church building and a service. Our desire is to build a team that would commit to loving the SF State community and living life together.
We continue to work together to build up the Church Network Hub and are currently serving 6 churches and 2 non-profits as regular clients. The biggest challenge we have faced so far is finding culturally relevant models for effective administration in many different cultural and methodological contexts. It is enjoyable and challenging work.
Brook has also gotten more involved in Classical Conversations a group she was involved in during our time in Sarasota and then in the East Bay this year. She will be directing a San Francisco/Peninsula group in the fall. God has been showing her lately that strong, missional families are key to reaching this city. In a place of broken relationships, our families hold the key to breaking up hard ground. Classical Conversations equips parents to shepherd their children to "know God and make Him known." The details are in place and I'm praying for the families that will be raised up around the city to be salt and light.
The kids are doing great - getting to be tough city kids who walk a lot, ride buses and BART, and enjoy making all kinds of new friends. Samuel is intensely interested in chess and we are working to find him other people to play with since he regularly beats his parents. He is wrapping up 2nd grade and his 3rd baseball season. Lilia is busy planning her 4th birthday party and she's asked for a "Ladybug, slug, ballerina, princess" party. She had started reading and enjoys painting and drawing.
So what has our experience been like this last year? Good question since we are waaayyyy overdue for an update. Which shows that mostly it has been a blur of new sights, people, experiences and just learning how to live day to day here. Some things God has affirmed:
God brought us to the right place. San Francisco felt like home very quickly. It's a beautiful place full of creative energy and the diversity makes us feel like we could have a Global Project every weekend.
God is growing our love for this place. We increasingly love the city, its people, its diversity and church planting network here.
There is a great need for relevant, faithful expressions of the gospel in the city. One of the dreams I've heard from church planters that have been here for years is that there would be a day when the Christians in San Francisco don't all know each other! There are some amazing things happening but also a lot of lost people.
The last year has been restoring. The last two years we were in Florida were a wilderness experience as we were seeking God for what He had next. We lost much of our passion for the lost and enthusiasm for the Kingdom of God. We feel like God has been renewing that passion that here in San Francisco. And in the midst of that, we can look back at those wilderness years and start to see how He was working to prepare us for being in this city and on this path.
Looking ahead......
Ever since we moved here college students keep coming up. The house we rented is quite close to San Francisco State University. Dave led a seminar at a conference on reaching college students and we ran into some college summer missionaries that were in the Bay Area last summer. There are over 200,000 college students just in San Francisco alone. At a recent conference that Dave attended, the question was asked "who are you called to?". After a couple of months of reflecting it was clear that after moving 3,000 miles across the country our love of the college campus remains.
The details are still being worked through, but the basic idea is to start a church in the area surrounding San Francisco State. The church will look different than most traditional churches in the sense that we won't start with a church building and a service. Our desire is to build a team that would commit to loving the SF State community and living life together.
We continue to work together to build up the Church Network Hub and are currently serving 6 churches and 2 non-profits as regular clients. The biggest challenge we have faced so far is finding culturally relevant models for effective administration in many different cultural and methodological contexts. It is enjoyable and challenging work.
Brook has also gotten more involved in Classical Conversations a group she was involved in during our time in Sarasota and then in the East Bay this year. She will be directing a San Francisco/Peninsula group in the fall. God has been showing her lately that strong, missional families are key to reaching this city. In a place of broken relationships, our families hold the key to breaking up hard ground. Classical Conversations equips parents to shepherd their children to "know God and make Him known." The details are in place and I'm praying for the families that will be raised up around the city to be salt and light.
The kids are doing great - getting to be tough city kids who walk a lot, ride buses and BART, and enjoy making all kinds of new friends. Samuel is intensely interested in chess and we are working to find him other people to play with since he regularly beats his parents. He is wrapping up 2nd grade and his 3rd baseball season. Lilia is busy planning her 4th birthday party and she's asked for a "Ladybug, slug, ballerina, princess" party. She had started reading and enjoys painting and drawing.
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