It's Time. Come Sit Next to Me?

I think it's time for me to spill the beans.

Let them fall where they will.

During the summer this blog has been a light place...a shallow place...a blah, blah, blah place, a talk about everything and nothing place.

A blog filled with coupons

recipes

jelly

that sort of nice, neat stuff that keeps me out of trouble and my inbox less full.

A restful place.

I'll still talk about coupons and less weighty things but those who know me well know far too well that my mind and my heart are never as light and fluffy as what's been floating around these parts of the internet.

The people who know me...really know me...walk in my door and say, "So tell me all the things not on the blog."

I smile and thank God for friends.

Lots has been going on in my brain.

Lots of thoughts about life...

church...

what's important...

what's probably not

I've had so many thoughts that I was afraid to let them all fall out for you to read.

Okay, maybe "afraid" is the wrong word.

Maybe just "not ready" or "not fully baked" or "too raw to be enjoyable to anyone."

More like the thoughts were all one big ugly blob of incomprehensible pieces.

But it's time.

The thoughts are becoming more and more clear...

Clear.

I said clear...

Not right

or good

or above rethinking.

Just clearer.

Clear enough to see and describe instead of feel and cry...or smile...or laugh...or get "into it" with Aaron because I'm not handling all these new things very well.

Many changes have happened in our life over the past few months.

Most of what we knew and had known for a very long time is no longer the same.

That can send a girl into some kind of shock or something...even if the changes are overall good ones.

It's taken me a little time to process.

But now I'm ready.

I'm ready to talk about Family Integrated Church. ( New Life isn't a Family Integrated Church, but still...I want to talk about it anyway because in some ways Family Integrated Church has shaped us, and in some ways it hasn't.)

Babies and children in Church

Some big changes in our minds as a couple about ministry

Some things we're doing differently.

Some things that are the same.

All the while knowing new things can be good, or bad...they can flop and fail...but they can also be revolutionary, so we're okay with the risk.

Election

multigenerational community

Ministry happening through life instead of primarily through programs

The end of the world

Being more sustainable

Kickin' it to "The Man"

Living simpler

and oh so much more

Behind the scenes there has been a lot going on here in Hendrickville.

Many good conversations.

Many hard ones.

Many productive conversations.

Many...um...not so much.

I'm ready.

Ready to talk

listen

learn

Ready to be honest.

Will you sit with me over the next few weeks...

Will you speak?

Will you listen?

Will you learn?

Will you be honest?

I'm up for some great conversations where we talk with one another...not at each other.

Where hopefully we talk about serious things in a loving, grace-filled way, always ready to learn instead of walking in to the room ready to defend.

I'm willing to be wrong and to grow through correction, scripture and truth.

I'm excited to have my perspective changed or stretched or confirmed by all the great minds from various locations, states, countries, backgrounds and churches who visit our world through this blog. What a gift!

I'm finally ready to wrestle through these difficult, thought provoking ideas that will hopefully lead us one step closer to the truth of scripture, to the truth of the gospel and being able to live those things out better and better each day. My hope is that the things spoken here will help grow in us a love for true community and a love for the church in a "lay down our life for it" sort of way.

Hope you'll pull up a chair and join me over the next few months.

I promise to throw in some light topics in between the not so light ones.

Every brain needs a break.