My Church Journey

I am a fairly passionate person with natural zeal and enthusiasm. I thoroughly enjoy studying people and culture. The world is an amazing place as it reflects so much about God and His amazing design. I enjoy simple things and believe that deep things fit together in simple applications for practical functionality. I believe in practical application of truth in everyday life.

I have been studying the dynamics of “the church,” seen within scripture for many years. I have read and studied the book of Acts many times. The church as expressed in the New Testament writings has been a subject of great interest to me.

As an eager, excited young Bible college student, I would ask questions and attempt to find the balance between what I was reading in the Bible and what I was experiencing in my local church. I asked many questions when things did not make sense to me. I was not trying to be problematic but rather understand the connection between the Bible and present reality.

As I served on staff of my first church assignment, I continued to ask questions regarding the same types of experiences.  I would evaluate what I was doing and what was expected of me in relation to what I was reading in the New Testament. It is funny, yet sad, that it seemed that I would often get in trouble for asking “Why” questions. “Why” do we do it like this? “Why” do we make this so important? “Why” do we not focus more on the things that Jesus focused on in His ministry?

I was simply trying to figure out why we as the church were teaching subjects that didn’t apply to everyday lifestyle.It often made me feel like we were studying ancient history just to know the facts instead of learning historical truth that would still apply to our current cultural challenges. I firmly believe in personal application of Biblical truth. As someone who has spent many years of my life investing in children and young people, practical applications of faith are mandatory. I believe the Bible is not just for intellectual stimulation but is primarily for experiential understanding. Genuine faith in Yeshua should affect how I think and live.  I am learning how to incorporate Biblical truth as a lifestyle in our modern, ever-changing culture. This is the manner in which I am attempting to lead our church family.

This has been a lonely path at times in my life. My desire for a genuine connectivity between God’s eternal truth and modern existence has often made me feel like I was not a proper fit for a typical church. The spiritual family that God has given me in MVC has been one of the greatest church blessings of my life. My earthly family and my heavenly family have been wonderfully patient with me. I am learning how to express my love for Jesus and my love for His church in a more transferrable manner. I love our Lord. I love people. I love and am committed to the Church of our Lord Jesus. I want us to be a pure and beautiful bride for our amazing Lord!

Journey with me as I share my heart and desire to embrace the complex yet simple thing, we call church. Open your heart with me and dare to believe that we can experience His presence and power in a way that we have yet to see in our lifetime.