I want to call so many of you and tell you individually what
is going on, hear each of your insight, but I’m just spent, and my spirit is
still digesting what it all means. So I’m
blogging. I just feel like it is the
easiest way to get it all out there. Our
leader, pastor, and friend has just made a terrible mistake. It is a moral failure which has jeopardized
everything he has built up over the past 15 years- his family, the church, the
FYM program, and the hundreds of people in the community that he has impacted
over the years. Unfortunately, when
leaders make mistakes, the ripple effect of destruction is tragic. I keep thinking about Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature,
from that nature will reap destruction…”
My team is currently renting a house for a couple of days in Texas to sort through
things as we process and while important decisions are being made about the
rest of the semester. Everything is
about to change- where we live, what our ministry looks like, who we’re serving…
pray for wisdom for our leaders as they make all these decisions. Pray that the enemy will not get nearly as
much mileage out of this as he had hoped, and that God would work this for His
glory. God is making Hebrews 12 new to
me: Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw of EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS and
the sin that so easily entangles, and let us RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE the race
marked out for us. And Acts 20:24 echoes
this- If only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has
given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. I know that I’m supposed to be here. I’m committed, and only by God’s spirit am I
able to shove the enemy back by standing on my Solid Foundation. The following is a blurb from Seth Barnes’
blog, as well as a declaration from Andrew Shearman from AIM that I kind of
personalized to our situation.
“To be human is to encounter pain. We come into the world screaming,
recoiling against it, and many of us will leave the world fighting it. And in
between, God’s enemy, who hates his creation, will do everything in his power
to bring violence our way. He has targeted us for pain. If we are a threat to
the existing order (in which he exercises control), then we have a bullseye
painted on our back.
The good news is, we don’t have to go whimpering into the night. We are more
than conquerors. Somehow, in God’s economy, we’re called to resist the enemy of
our souls and fight back – to get some violence in our spirit.”
Look, hell, you may have robbed our group of someone we held dear, as well
as the feelings of trust we stood on. You may have marked us for destruction,
but I sure as hell am not going to sit here and take it! I am going to fight
you for what God has given me. Society may place a premium on being nice and
looking proper, but I don’t have any more room in my life for nice! I will
fight you tooth and nail for what is mine, and furthermore, now that you’ve
riled me up, I will exact a price for this. Where I’ve been complacent, I will
start putting on the Ephesians 6 armor. Where I’ve been passive, I will start
praying warfare prayers. Instead of sleeping in, I’m going to start getting up
early and praising God. I’ve had it – I’m not going to sit still any longer! I
know there’s a warrior’s spirit in me somewhere, and I intend to summon it up!
Please intercede on our behalf, friends.
