DIG IN.

"It is time for us to exhibit by our very lives that we believe in the oneness of the Body of Christ. It is time for us to prove that the purpose of the gospel is to reconcile alienated people to God and to each other, across racial, cultural, social, and economic barriers. It is time for the reconciling love of God that has touched each individual heart to spill over into love for our neighbor." 

-John Perkins (Beyond Charity)

Facebook reminded me that two years ago, I got to see one of the major influencers of my faith and theology speak in Gainesville. 

This is what I posted on Facebook about it:

"It was really encouraging to hear Dr. John Perkins talking about being stewards of life tonight at Greenhouse Church in Gainesville! The takeaway for me: find a place where your love, creativity, and gifts can make a difference and dig in."

It was an unexpected joy to be reminded of that night. At the time I wrote this in 2016, I was still raw from being unable to raise support to move to Slovenia. I was angry at churches I had invested in for not being serious about the Great Commission. I felt like a failure - like not getting the support was a result of sin in my life or a lack of faith or that I simply wasn't good enough (basically, variations of the arguments found in Job). I was in over my head working as a teacher. I had lost my sense of purpose and direction in life. I was in a new city away from close friends. Essentially, I had started over in life and was JACKED UP. 

Even in this state of brokenness though, I knew I needed to hold on to what faith in God I could. So when I found out at the last minute that Perkins was speaking in Gainesville, I forced Ashley to go with me (she was pretty done with church stuff at that time and wasn't really interested). We also had attended Brick City Church about 3-4 times when we heard Perkins teach. This means that as I heard from him that I should find a place where my love, creativity, and gifts can make a difference and dig in - I WAS ALREADY AT THAT PLACE, AND I WAS DOING JUST THAT.

Two years later, I am the Pastor of Mobilization here at Brick City Church...

I have a Missional Community meeting in my living room every Monday night where we share frustrations, victories, struggles, and talk about what it means to follow Jesus - all the while having these people show love towards my daughter running around the living room as we talk and take turns cuddling with the newborn of another couple in our group.

I meet with a group of people I normally would never get the chance to hang out with at Theology on Tap every Wednesday, where we have a similar discussion over a few beers.

I spent this morning playing guitar and working on learning some new songs to sing with the congregation on Sunday.

In August, I got an entire Sunday morning service to talk with my friends Andrej and Nina about the work they are doing in Slovenia. Then our church decided to support their work financially (without my prompting). It was a beautiful experience for me, and brought much peace and healing to Ashley and I. 

This afternoon I will meet with some missionaries who live in Slovenia, and hear more about the work they are doing in a part of that country I am unfamiliar with. 

I am designing trading cards of some key women of the Bible to accompany a sermon series after Easter, and when I finish those I will be making comics of Rabbi stories Brad has collected over the years and we will self-publish and release it in the fall (this is the closest I may get to being a paid comic creator-FYI). 

Our church invited the pastor of a nearby Mt. Zion AME church to speak one afternoon on how to start the practice of racial reconciliation in our community. We then walked with this church on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. After we initiated those two events with Mt. Zion, their pastor invited our church to join them for a Sunday service and cookout. 

We quickly scrapped our plans, and condensed our service to 45 minutes. Then more than half our congregation went to Mt. Zion. I got to lead worship in the first black church of Ocala, started over 150 years ago, and Brad got to teach. Then our people and their people ate fish and grits and hotdogs and hamburgers and just spent time together while our kids ran around. Our hope is to continue to be neighbors with this church and see what God might do with our friendship here in Ocala. 

There are a dozen other things I am working on, either for me to initiate with our community or for me to support and be a part of...

I have found a place where my love, creativity, and gifts can make a difference and I have dug in.

Our community here has helped Ashley and I find healing. It has not helped me recover my passion for Jesus, but it has fostered a new passion and understanding of Jesus that is much deeper and broader in scope. After years of languishing in communities that not only lack vision, but are suspicious of it, we have found a place that welcomes and encourages it. We have matured here.

This community has helped continue to bring the Gospel to Slovenia, not by Ashley and I working there, but in supporting others who work there. We have started the long process of Gospel reconciliation through neighboring with Mt. Zion to reflect the dignity of all people as image bearers of God.

My work is to use every ounce of creativity I can muster to shepherd others into this life of following the Jesus who is subversive to every value we have that is self-serving and would abandon our neighbors to the wasteland. 

Thank you, Dr. Perkins.

Thank you Brick City Church community and friends.

Thank you Mt. Zion AME.

MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU REAL GOOD,

-joshua (January 2018)