Ma'am, step away from the computer...

This will be my last post for the day so I can actually go and be a productive human being.

Since moving to the 'burbs of Chicago, we have been blessed to have found a church that has exceeded any expectations that I could have ever had. The entire experience has been incredibly healing in light of some of the wounds I acquired growing up in the SBC. But the church that God sent us to preaches the Gospel, values social justice and reconciliation on local and global levels, puts money and resources into art (including an art school), and has a well-developed and nuanced theology that has enhanced my own studies of Theology at school.

So, we were anticipating quite a large loss upon moving back to Tennessee. In Knoxville, there just aren't any churches that have the same values as those we had found to be central in our church here. So, occasionally, we'd jest about getting our church up here to plant a church in Knoxville, seeing how we're a church planting church. I started praying over a year ago about where God would send us when the time came to go back to Knoxville (the sense of calling to go back there has not waned). But, We had resigned ourselves to finding a church and had already started scoping a few out and asking around about possibilities so we could visit when we were in town.

But two weeks ago, at church, I was having a 'get to know you' convo with one of the pastors who doesn't know me (that'd be all of them...but one). We got around to the fact that we're from Tennessee:

"What part of Tennessee?"
"Knoxville."
"You're kidding me!"
"No, why?"
"Well, we're planting a church in Knoxville."
"YOU'RE kidding me."

Such a gift that I hadn't expected made instant tears spring to my eyes. I had not even said my prayers in earnest, nor hoped that God would answer my prayer in such a fantastic way. But God did.

So, we got introduced to Mark Nelson, the lead guy for planting the church. Every once in awhile I get down and I think of this church plant and I get all giddy inside.

One aspect of being here in Chicago that has bothered me the most is the consuming nature of my graduate studies and the little to nothing I've been able to commit to the Church. Reassurances from many levels have confirmed that I'm spending my time where I need to be, but I was kinda mad at God. God goes and brings us here, brings us to a Church body that has values where my gifts and types of ministry would thrive, where I could serve with those of a like mind and heart, and then tells me, "No"? It just didn't seem to make sense. If I had it my way, I'd quit school and do ministry all day every day at this church, because there are just so many things that match with God's calling, the gifts he's given, and my passions.

But, in some ways, it's making more sense. I'm being aware not to build this up into some idealistic fantasy that will leave me disappointed. Our church here is far from perfect, and so will be the body in Knoxville when it launches. But, to feel as if God is moving and shifting some big things...to see God moving people with vastly divergent lives to one place and to sense that you're a part of it..how could I not be excited?

This long post was all to say that the lead person of the launch team, who is in the area for an 8 week residency training, has a blog. Read up!