I'm finding that the greatest balancing act for me as a pastor is figuring out where to draw the line on being culturally relevant, and spiritually intuitive. I hunger for experiences like Elijah's at the Brook Cherith, but I hunger just as much to impact the lives of the people for whom that experience bears no relevance or holds no meaning, until they can experience it too. I want the supernatural that transforms, heals, and redeems. But I also want to sit with the people that hurt, hate, and are skeptical about the power of a God they can't see.
Today, we come off our 21-day Daniel fast. Did anything earth shattering happen while we were on it? Not if you don't count the fact that an avowed vegetable 'hater' somehow managed to have everything taste like chicken. Seriously though, the most 'earth-shattering' thing that happened to me on this fast is the fact that I have fallen more in love with my God, my wife, my family, and my church. Now if that isn't miraculous, I don't know what is. What's miraculous about that you ask? Well, the human heart has the capacity to love only so much. The kind of love that I am experiencing goes beyond the ability of the human heart. Words cannot communicate it's depth and so I know that it comes from a place beyond my comprehension.
So, yeah I can eat steak and bread again (even though it isn't delivered by Raven Mail), but beyond the practical and the immediately obvious, the benefits of this fast will be seen in the ability of our church to make the difference that we are destined to make. I am pumped about what's in store for The Well over the next few months. Steak or shrimp anyone?
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