didn’t quite make the cut
this was a proposal for onething09 regionals concept. it didn’t take, but i’m still quite fond of it.
loved to life
i’ve been flipping through “organic church” again, and the chapter about good soil still doesn’t sit well with me. the basic idea is invest your time on those who are good soil. all the other ones…..step away, they aren’t worth your time.
that really bothers me. how can we really say that someone is not worth investing into anymore? i was talking to a friend the other day about how some older kids from church weren’t responding exactly the way he would have liked. when i asked him about it, he shurgged it off and said “it’s about the younger generation anyway.”
really? that’s it? if they’re not responsive, move on.
i know that i don’t have this down. i’m the person who will beat a dead horse until i’ve killed myself beating that dead horse. but surely “just move on” can’t be the answer either. i used to be the hopeless cause, the emotional vaccum. and what helped me get out of it wasn’t me all of a sudden having an amazing revelation all on my own and then reaching out for help. it was a very select few that kept reaching out. eventually i broke out of it. some people now joke around with me about how much of a mess i used to be, and how “thank God you’re out of that phase.” but i know it wasn’t because i grew out of a phase. it was because of how the Lord would say “i love you” every morning i woke up, knowing full well i didn’t believe it. it was the Lord sending my friends over to come talk with me. i don’t remember any of the conversations i’ve had with them or any of the advice they gave. but i do remember opening the door and seeing them there. and i do remember seeing their names on my cell phone when they were calling.
since coming to IHOP–KC i have learned so so so much. and i’m so grateful for the opportunity to sit under all this teaching. but i do know that what saved be from death was how the Lord loved me to life. he just kept loving on me, and wouldn’t stop. He would not stop investing time and energy into me. i have a hard time giving in to the idea of “move on” because the Lord never did that with me. i do believe that some people’s hearts are in states where they are bad soil. but maybe it’s possible that persistent loving can break it up, producing good soil?