Watching the Sunset

Ever had one of those moments? It may have been a stunning sunset, or the view from a mountaintop, or the cry of a newborn baby. Something about that moment took your breath away. You were caught up in wonder at the sheer beauty of whatever it was that had captivated your attention.

Right now for me it's watching God at work in our lives and in Emmaus Road, our new church. When I simply sit back and consider what it going on all around us--things way beyond ourselves or our ability to create--I have to shake my head. Wha? How? Can it be?

When we were looking for a house in Toledo, we were praying for and seeking an area that fit with our experiences and giftedness in ministry. So we focused on an area near the University of Toledo and in an older and more heavily populated part of town. We're simply not suburban folk. And more than that, we feel like much of the church has abandoned the city in favor of the everyone's-the-same McSuburbs. We believe God cares about lost people in the city as much as He cares about the folks in the burbs.

In the end, God blessed us with an awesome house complete with avocado green 40-year-old appliances and orange shag carpet (don't worry, we're replacing the appliances and pulling up the carpet). The house is great, but what's beyond belief is the neighborhood. While it's not nearly as diverse as our Longfellow neighborhood in Kansas City, we continue to sense God affirming that it was the right place through a variety of circumstances.

First, I've never lived somewhere where so many people go for walks in the evening. We've met literally dozens of people already just out walking. Many of them have actually come up to us and introduced themselves while we're out in the yard with the kids.

Second, Barb is already starting a playgroup for mothers with young children. Many of the people living in this area are young families with young children. Already, one of the lady's has expressed a lot of interest in Emmaus Road.

Third, just last week, we found out that our neighbor across the street is the director of the International Ministries branch of Campus Crusade at UT (Uni. of Toledo)! Turned out that there just happened to be a dinner coming up later in the week at which all the directors would be in attendance. And just like that she got us in to it with a seat at her table and a personal introduction to the directors of Campus Crusade and Athletes in Action. What I had figured would take a lot of running around and making phone calls to do (getting to know some of these leaders on campus) happened at one dinner through this lady that God brought across our path. Now we have an instant connection to all that's going on in those ministries on campus.

There's so much more I could describe, like the connection I made with another youth pastor who happens to do web design for non-profits, or the electrician we met who is doing a little updating at our house for free, or the worship arts pastor at a local mega church who I had coffee with who offered to help us out with any resources they have available, or the treasurer from a large church on our district who wants to help us be sure we get everything set up right from the beginning, or the another pastor who wants to donate Alpha Course materials and videos to us. Each encounter, each connection, looks more and more like the hand of God.

I've sung in a lot of choirs in my life. Every once in a while you have that feeling that you're part of something bigger than just a collection of individuals who happen to be singing the same song. Something larger is happening--there's a collective harmony that is created that cannot happen in isolation from one another. All the elements come together: the composer's vision and creation, the conductor's guidance, melody and counter melody, the harmony, the acoustics, the aesthetics, the audience--each join forces to create something much larger than any single part. It's sometimes during those moments that you find yourself caught up in it all, simply watching it take place around you and boggling at its beauty.

That's like the feeling I get working in concert with God starting Emmaus Road here in Toledo. It's like a work of art, like a brilliant sunset.

And right now, I'm loving the view.