inside my head

I really can't fathom where each week goes. Today is Thursday, February 7th, but it might as well be Monday. I can't recall what happened to Monday through Wednesday-- well I think I can, but still, time flies. It has been a good week so far- our team feels a bit more complete as 1 of the Kiwi men has moved in with Justin and students are beginning to come around more often. Our team is so excited to get back on campus in a week or so! In preperation of the school year starting, our team has been reading the book, Organic Church, which I'm really enjoying- so I thought I'd share some thoughts/ questions that I've been having stemming from the book. I know you're excited:)

So this book is not the most eloquently written book-- sometimes the English girl in me laughs at it-- and sometimes I get real frusturated at the book and disagree with it-- but Neil Cole does make some really good points which I think our team needs to spend some time with. (yes Brandt if you are reading I know that I just ended a sentence with a preposistion, please forgive me). This book does do a good job of critiquing the western church and how we like to do ministry. Besides reading this book, our team just came off of a week at "staff conference" where 100+ of us talked about ministry and from both of these sources-- my mind has been racing about what it looks like to actually love people who do not know or believe in the Gospel.

Both at staff conference and in this book, the discussion has centered on God-- what is He doing? This should be our first question. Not, "what can we do, and then ask God to help us do it," but a genuine searching of what God is doing in this place, where is He changing lives? As Christ's body, why in the world then do we spend so much time trying to plan and organize activities and ignore so much of what is going on outside of the church? We plan a Thursday night meeting- but forget that the vast majority of students are out binge drinking and hooking up with people who they may never see again. Do we/ I care about these people?

I feel convicted to care more for people who never seem to come in contact with someone trying to live out the Gospel in his/ her life. I don't want to step from 1 Christian bubble to the next. But how the heck do I help invite these people into the journey? I'd love for you to join with me in the discussion and in prayer for how to love people who may seem impossible to love. I want to see God change lives with His Truths. I want to see what God is doing in this place. And as I keep thinking about these things-- I realise that ministry is much more than I thought it was. This takes more love, more time, and more of God's Truth in my life than I knew.

This book, and our staff conference covered so much more for me to process. I loved the main speaker-- the director of Agape Ministry in the UK- so much wisdom it wasn't even funny. I guess I can briefly mention a few of his topics/ statements so you know what else I'm processing; Do we need more quiet days or a spiritual earthquake?, God is not suprised by postmodernity, the church is often not a reflection of those in it, Do we take God for granted?, progress & opposition go hand in hand, are Christians too relevant?, never before have we tried to be more relevant, but are so irrelevant, and...he asked us as we left, "would people follow you if they didn't have to?"

So yeah... plenty to think about here. Trying to keep up with Super Tuesday and the election. Jared also got to talk to his Dad, who said that where the family is living right now isn't bad enough to leave. Praying for strength for them. It has been a pure joy to talk with some of you on the phone recently:) I love and miss you all much! -- Lacey

ps- good laugh for you- Kiwis call restrooms, toilets- still seems crude to me, but yesterday when I was playing tennis with 1 of the students and a man asked me where I found water I responded, "oh I just got it in the toilet." Once I thought about this for a moment... I turned red and laughed quite hard at myself. I don't know what I was supposed to say????