Urban Reformation

Today was the first day of school and I am thankful.  Oh not that it was the first day of school, the time off from school work was a blessing for my wife and the kids and everyone involved,  but it was quite an eventful summer.

In the beginning of the Summer we had two minivans, and we parked on the street.  I could go on about the auto-thefts or the windows, or the car crashes, but I’ve already done that, (shattered windows)here, (stolen)here, the final word here (crash).

Honorable mention is also a blue van we had for a few weeks before the transmission went out donated to us by God’s Mountain Camp.  I was told by a friend that if his wife wrote a story about what’s happened over this summer, it wouldn’t be, believable.  I concur it seemed so surreal so much of the time.  All of that being said we’ve also seen a lot of devastating spiritual things take place which could easily take the spot light over some stolen vehicles or broken glass.

Our house reminded me as I sat and thanked God for our driveway this morning, of our sanctification.  We get torn down by the issues of life, by circumstances, yet God continues the work he started because He is faithful.  Not the house or anything about the house but because God is faithful to Himself and His word.

We began this journey to come to the North East of Kansas City, I must confess being a small town anglo white boy from Kansas working out my salvation in fear and trembling in the North East doesn’t seem to always go together.  I thought today about how we go along in life and are oblivious to the power of God.  He could smash me in an instant, yet he had mercy.

I remember a Sermon Tim Juhnke spoke about not too far back about discipline.  I recall that there are several different kinds and it isn’t always healthy to try to figure out why you’re being disciplined but to trust that God has the best thing for you and that your discipline is because He loves you.    Is it sin?  Is it to build my character?  Is it to take away an Idol?  I pray for the answers yet the only thing I really have to go on is that it is for my good.

In spite of so many trials, even the inability to reach out this summer as I had hoped, God has been faithful to me and my family all summer long.  The communication between my wife and I has been extraordinary over the summer because these trials, were great and more frequent, and the busyness of life became less.  Oh we are about to get back into busy mode here but I thank God for the trials for the goodness of our marriage.   Let me encourage you to read Tim Challie’s blog on some of his Personal Reflections.

So I am so thankful for my wife, and our relationship this summer.  We are preparing to celebrate our 10 year anniversary as well and I am truly blessed by my wife, she is truly the love of my life and truly the better half of our marriage.

I am also blessed that we were able to go through these trials with my children.  They learning the value of material things, seeing us at our less than sanctified moments of frustration, and our repentance when we sin or fail.  God has allowed conversations about things that would not have come otherwise, at least not in this time or season of life.

We have been blessed by friends who have come along side of us, and in spite of my own pride to receive rides to work and my wife to get rides to the store we have had to depend on others for a season.  This was beneficial for a couple of reasons, there were benefits in fellowship and spending time with one another in Christ and long term our relationships are stronger because of the time we spent with one another.

People often say that they want something  Beyond McChurch yet Christ centered relationships are only developed around Christ and with Time.  We so often want them like a Big Mac, now.  This is a longer process you may have to buy the cow to get the Big Mac.  I have been blessed by these relationships over the summer, those whom allowed me to depend upon them.  I pray only that I did not in any way take advantage or presume on their kindness.

I’m thankful for my parents as they gave my wife and I numerous times their van to borrow on the weekends.  This was an incredible blessing.  God also has allowed me through some of these various trials, and trials I have not mentioned explicitly to make more friends, and to love more and deeper.  I have prayed more this summer than I have in a long time, I still pray for reconciliation for so many things and repentance for so many more.

In spite of tragedy God has been faithful, and Good, and though our summer was unrelenting at times God gave us Grace, and is still granting us mercy every day.

I have not mentioned a number of things I am thankful for here, but I know them all in my heart and I am thankful despite of my flesh screaming otherwise at times.

I am thankful for friends family, and most of all the grace and mercy of God the father, though I don’t deserve it has blessed me with these people whom I will never forget.

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