THIS IS FOR POSTERITY, FOLKS, SO IF YOU WERE THERE, PLEASE ADD YOUR MEMORIES AND YOUR EXPERIENCE - I WANT TO BE ABLE TO LOOK BACK AND HAVE A COLLECTIVE MEMORY OF THIS NIGHT. PLEASE...
I just lost my entire post – boo on Blogger gnomes… oh, and day 9 is gone, too. What’s up with that?
Tonight begins the launch weekend. We have a whole weekend planned together as a community, beginning with the night of prayer. Tomorrow, we’ll go play in the park, developing and fostering relationships that our community is founded upon, and Sunday will be the genesis – the beginning – of the Ring Community Church. Last Sunday was the last time we met as a college ministry, although it has never been that to me, so better stated, last weekend was the last time we met as the Ring. I feel like there should be a moment of silence and reflection, please…
…
Ok, onto the current happenings. We met tonight as a family, to pray together for this baby church. We prayed using an idea of a three-sided triangle (as opposed to a four-sided triangle, josh…) where we prayed upward, inward and outward.
We began by praying upward. We spread out, praying individually to Him, declaring His righteousness, holiness, majesty, faithfulness, grace, sovereignty, love, worthiness, and His goodness. I felt Him smiling.
We then prayed inward, focusing on the Body of Christ that makes up the Ring. We split up into groups of three to talk about what’s on our hearts, what’s happening in our lives and community groups. My group talked about fear, attacks on identity, our need for wisdom, discernment, grace, and our heart for everyone who walks through our doors to know that they are welcome and loved. We prayed together, and looking around, to see so many people in serious prayer for one another was incredible. I sensed His smile teasing outward…
We prayed outward, together as a group. The prayers came from all around, people speaking from their hearts about groups of people they are burdened for. There were prayers for the apathetic, the ostracized, the children, the wronged, the over-churched, the ones who have hurt us, the homeless, those struggling with addictions, for diversity… My heart began to hesitate as demographic after demographic was listed. I don’t want to be a church concerned with demographics. I don’t want to be a church that measures our “success” in numbers. I’m not saying that that is an accurate reflection of the hearts – like we were just listing every people group known to man – I’m just saying that my heart hesitated. I want to be a church where we are allowed to take place in His passionate pursuit of His people – redeemed and unredeemed.
Josh closed us out by praying almost word for word what I was thinking. He has already begun to align our hearts – to knit them together into the community of believers that He purposed us to be. I sensed His grin from ear to ear…
Afterwards, Josh pointed out the importance of this night – it is a pivotal point in the life of this church. We were allowed to be part of the group that will say, “Hey, remember when we prayed for that the Friday before launch?”
We have lain this at His feet. We get to watch and wait, hearts ready and willing when He says, “Go.” Which leads me to the Scripture for the day – Matthew 28:18-20 –
18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
8 comments:
Hi Ann!
Dang, that sucks that you lost your post. You never put mindless fluff on here like I tend to do on mine. :)
In my opinion our church has to be concerned with demographics. We need to be aware of what our body is. What it looks like, who we are serving, how we are being a light to the community here in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the world. If we weren't concerned about the people in our body and around it, then that only leaves us with the option of being concerned with ourselves. And I never want "all about me" to be our focus.
Gosh, I'm not even sure if this makes sense. It is the weekend, and we all know my iq drops a few points. Ha ha.
By the way, I hope your head is feeling better.
hey allison - although i doubt that your iq has dropped even a smidgeon, i am a little confused, and ask you to please clarify how you got "all about me" from "allowed to participate in His passionate pursuit of His people - redeemed and unredeemed."
He is after all of us... that doesn't leave room for demographics, much less "all about me". demographics put people into boxes, or labels them, or even worse, isolates or ostracizes them. i know that you agree that we are called to love, period.
i am not challenging you so much as i am trying to understand your point...
I thought of it more along the lines of asking Him how to love those groups mentioned. Too many times, the church has brought religion into the mix when dealing with certain groups and has mucked up things royally. We are called to be Christ in peoples lives, and I think coming to Him humbly, asking for His guidance in how to love those groups was a good start.
I also loved how He put discernment on so many peoples hearts. When we discussed it in the small group, we all agreed it was vital. Then, during the group prayer at the end, it must have been mention a good 4-5 times. That we came together, corporately as the Body and recognized that we need Him in order to love those groups with His love, make decisions with His hand guiding us, was just too cool. The focus was not on our wants and desires per se, but that our wants and desires were aligned with His.
He has placed a desire in my heart to shift away from the thought process of labels or groups or demographics, towards a desire for ALL those still being pursued...
thanks for helping me voice that more clearly, guys!
and yes, experiencing the aligning of our desires with His was very cool, indeed...
my memories of this night centered around thankfulness. The first part of the night i spent almost the entire time thanking HIM for innumberable things. my thankfulness mixed with excitement during the second part of the evening and eventually a kind of anticipation for what is to come. HE has brought me so far in my thoughts in feelings about the Ring Community Church. I am thanking HIM even now for healing my heart.
thanks, Kaite, for sharing your memories of this night.
Thank You, Jesus, for all You are doing in and through our lives!
My point is that I don't want a church full of Allison's. How boring.
i think we are agreeing without realizing it. i definitely do not want a church full of ann's - allison's would be MUCH more entertaining...
seriously, we share the same desire to reach our community, both within and without the ring. i just abhor labels - mainly because i spend so much time getting unstuck from them (divorced, bankrupt, single, white, thirty-something, agressive... etc ad nauseaum). said unsticking takes away from my time and energy that could be used more effectively for His Kingdom.
thank you for clarifying, thank you for all you are in my life, and thank you for loving me, in spite of me...
much love, my friend.
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