Seeing the people you have called family for the last six years is an emotional and fulfilling time. One of the MAJOR principles our move West was hinged on was this deeply held belief that the people of Hopesprings in Bangor would be able to embrace such a dramatic change, grow throughout the process, and embrace a new pastor as they continue their journey of loving God and people in the Slate Belt. I was only there for a few days, and brought home just a snapshot of how things are going. In that small window I got a powerful portrait of this family, this scrappy, dynamic, diverse community of faith that we had poured our lives into taking their next step together.
The love in the gathering was palpable, and I couldn't stop talking about the vibe afterwards. It was powerful, unified, and clear. It felt like a community of faith excited to be together and ready for whatever is next in their journey together. It felt like a party. It felt like a family. There were a ton of new faces and a fresh energy. And as Jonathan got up to preach, and worked his way through his message, my preacha-sense was tingling.
preach -a-sense
noun
1. Intuition felt by a preacher. 2. Discernment regarding the underlying feel of a room when someone is preaching.
"His preacha-sense tingled, and he could feel the room was engaged with the speaker"
synonyms: spidey-sense, teacha-sense, bidness-sense, intuition
Preacha-sense don't lie. Much like my hips. The people of Hopesprings in Bangor are behind Jonathan, following his leadership, and experiencing God as they study the Scriptures together. It was a beautiful feeling. I am in no way the father of Hopesprings in Bangor, so this analogy is fatally flawed, but it felt something like a dad looking at his kids being exactly who they are supposed to be. I came back with a full heart.
Not just a full heart, but with a deep, hard-fought optimism in the face of hardship and doubt that we are exactly where we are supposed to be, and that God is writing this story in the life of Hopesprings. When things here are hard (and they are...daily) some of my rest comes in knowing that our family in Bangor keeps trucking, loving people, and moving forward together to love the people of the Slate Belt. Their faith and commitment to each other is helping strengthen ours here in Sioux City.
For our brothers from alternative mothers and sisters from different misters in Bangor:
We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the
love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in
heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which
has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit
and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard
of it and understood the grace of God in truth; (Colossians 1.3-6)
