In April Tate was afraid to go out into the deep end of the pool when we visited Papa and Nana in Arizona. She needs to learn how to swim, so I was encouraging her to be willing to move out into the deep and to trust her father to help her. She still remained afraid and unwilling, captivated by her fear to venture out. In April, as I reflected on her fear I had related it to my own journey of faith.
As I was encouraging her an epiphany came to me. I often stay on the edge or the periphery of faith. I want to think a radical life of faith is descriptive of my life, but I’m like Tate clutching onto the edge of the shallow end of belief. I’m afraid to venture into the deep. I stay and play in the shallows where it is safe, predictable, controllable, and where I can touch the bottom when fearful circumstances or “what ifs” come to mind as we think about the future. I’ve got my floaties on and want to venture out into the deep end, but I’m still standing on the stairs.
We're no longer wearing the "floaties" and God has asked us to venture out into the deep. We're in the deep. I'm not sure we're swimming or even floating, but we're there. We're no longer in the shallows where it is safe, predictable, controllable and where we are touching the bottom. There's not much to cling to except God at the moment. It's scary but it's exactly where God desires us to be in the present and he is with us. It's a beautiful thing but not easy. In fact it's quite messy.
We are staying in Santa Cruz to live out a journey God has continued to make clear to us and to create a new ministry supported by the local church in Santa Cruz County. I also briefly shared we were hoping to be sent out by the local church we have served at for four years, but it would require us raising our own support. This last Saturday High St. Community Church where I have been pastoring has decided to create a designated fund specifically for this new ministry. This allows us to start raising support through a network of family, friends, churches, and those who believe in what we are doing. The church board has also agreed to provide us support and accountability while we build our own board and leadership structure in the following months. This is an amazing blessing. It allows giving to our ministry to be tax deductible and for us to begin create a financial support base. High St. Community Church is still discussing the possibility of financially supporting us through their mission's budget as well. We are also encouraged that other churches have shown an interest to prayerfully consider the possibility of supporting us as well. We are hoping to receive support to build a organization to do three things:
- To mobilize and facilitate the resources of a network of local churches to respond to the needs of the marginalized, needy, homeless, oppressed, and "forgotten" ones in Santa Cruz County as they are requested.
- To actively be out in the community discovering needs to bring back to the local church so they are aware of how to serve those in need. This service would continue to build upon the model we have employed down at the Rowland Rebele Family Shelter and then develop into serving other unique communities in need.
- To continue to dream about creating a missional order/school of discipleship to mobilize and equip the next generation of young people to be sent out to serve the orphaned, abandoned, marginalized, and oppressed around the world, grounded in a specific set of values and practices in following Jesus.
We're in the deep and God is with us. The thing keeping me going is I know God is "up to something" here in Santa Cruz. The signs of his moving in the last few months is undeniable. It is evident God is going before us. It is happening and I hope we are blessed to be able to participate in it. Would you please pray for us and for confidence to believe He will continue to provide for our needs as He faithfully has over the years as we've served him.
