Thoughts for the Superheroes of STORYCHURCH

Hey STORYCHURCH, I'm thinking about you this morning. Yesterday we wrapped up our series AKA and I think it was one of my top 5 favorite days as a church. Here's why:

1. The Fun Factor - seriously we had a lot of fun. From getting a group of people on stage staring at the sky for 10 minutes while I taught, to some staged crowd-sourced announcements, to superhero cutouts and free t-shirts. We had a good time didn't we?
2. Worship - Holy smokes. The band just about rocked my face off and the spirit of worship and celebration among you all was incredible. I love to watch us growing in our expression and participation in worship. The new song we sang at the end is called "Great I Am" and you can buy it HERE or watch the video HERE.
3. Stories - I talked to two people specifically yesterday that told me amazing stories. One of those stories is from a person who is beginning to embrace the story she was meant to live. She has been attending for months, but more as a cautious observer. But Jesus is changing her to the point that while she still isn't totally sure where she stands - she can't help but talk about it with others, share what she is learning, and invite neighbors to experience what she is experiencing. WOW. (Which reminds me, if you have a story to share of how God is changing you through STORYCHURCH - share it HERE.)
4. Creativity - I am so proud of our AKA series. I think it's one of the best things we've ever done. And you know why? Because someone (Josh Grossmann, to be exact) used their gifts and talents to make it incredible. Here's what we all need to learn from that: STORYCHURCH IS SO MUCH BETTER WHEN YOU AND I USE THE GIFTS GOD HAS GIVEN US. Seriously if you aren't serving yet, please make your way through the Growth Track and get plugged in. If you enjoyed this series, if it touched your life in any way - it's because Josh poured his heart, soul, time and talents into it. And YOU can have that kind of impact on someone else too.
5. Generosity - Together we gathered dozens and dozens of shoeboxes full of goodies for kids all over the world this Christmas in partnership with Operation Christmas Child. You guys never disappoint here. Thanks for being a giving church. AND, our kids ministry decorated the boxes and made cards for them - HOW COOL IS THAT?

I'm so thankful for you all and that I get to pastor my favorite church in the world. We're just getting started!!

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Community

This week marks six months since we launched Story Church. I'm thrilled at where we find ourselves today. In many ways, it's completely different than I thought it would be, but I couldn't be happier with our progress. Yesterday I had the opportunity to reflect with our church on what God has done these first six months, and to begin to dream about the kind of community we can still become.

In just six months, we've seen incredible impact on people's lives. Many of the people in our church were completely detached from God just six months ago. Today they find themselves not only regularly attending our services, but more importantly they are finding a community where they belong. They are connecting relationally with others who are seeking to live like Jesus. Together, we've been able to serve our school where we meet. We've blessed the teachers, we've volunteered hours at the school, and currently we're in the middle of a backpack drive for the new school year. We've had global impact as well - giving so that a community in the Central African Republic now has a clean water well where they once had none. We also saw our community step up and give sacrificially toward Haiti relief when the earthquake hit.

More and more we are seeing our mission take shape - to help people embrace the story they are meant to live.

On Sunday we began to dream together about a different kind of community. One where authenticity was the rule, not the exception. We are beginning to take the risks to be open, honest, and real with each other. I don't want to be part of a community where all of a sudden we hear about a divorce. I want to be the kind of community where two years before that happens, he is able to share with someone about his struggle with pornography. There's too much at stake in our marriages, in our families, and in our communities to pretend we have it all together. We have to be willing to be real with each other and "carry each other's burdens" as it says in Galatians 6.

This kind of authenticity starts with me. It starts with you. And I think we're off to a great start. But the reality is that future generations of Story Churchers will be deeply impacted by the kind of community we shape and form here in this first year or so. I hope and pray that we have the courage to not only talk about it, but that we will be willing to get beyond the fear of becoming vulnerable with each other, and to engage in deep, authentic community.

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