Veritas weekend...

Veritas. ("truth" in Latin)  For months the leadership of our church has planned, prayed and prepared for this weekend.  The Veritas Pathway has ended but our church now begins the work of discerning the Spirit of God regarding 'next steps'...an action plan, as it were.  A strategic action plan.  That sounds very much like the workings of government, to me.  But looking beyond the words and even our discerning, there was a sense that Gateway has a very real desire to be broken...broken enough to allow God's Spirit to change us into the likeness of Jesus.  As a body of "Christ followers", it is He whom we desire to imitate and I get a sense that we are in a place to move forward, into a next phase of community life.

We realize also, that going forward requires us to actually move.  We cannot sit and do nothing and wait for some (as my friend described it) brick falling from the sky with a note attached, giving us Phase I of our new adventure.  No. It involves each of us, in community, talking and praying together, making one another accountable for our actions, and getting into relationship with God and each other.  When relationship happens, it gets us trusting and caring, and loving and doing...together.

I must confess, there are days when I am so tired I would just as soon flop down and never get up.  But the Bible reminds me that "they shall rise up with wings as eagles, we shall run and not be weary, walk and not faint"!!  That gives me a great amount of hope because left to my own strength, as I say, I'd just flop down like a beached walleye and croak.

We are God's people and over this weekend, I saw a theme throughout the entire time....desire.  No, we probably don't have the strength to accomplish much, but the desire is there.  God has said that he will "give us the desires of our hearts"....he also says to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path".  Another great promise as I sink down into my comfy chair and put my feet up.  But it's OK.  God knows we need to rest and take time to be with him, to commune with him, to talk or be silent in his presence.....and to be real before him.

Ya, it was a good weekend. I learned so much more about God's people, my friends....the people I love.

 

By the looks of those papers hanging on the church basement wall, we said a lot of good things, things that would make us a healthy, missional church...now, to do them.  By God's grace, we shall!