A Good Day!

Today is a good day, by that I mean that I got out of bed before 10am, was able to enter into personal prayer and petition for others without having to combat any of the 7 dwarfs of ministry mental mortification: mopey, queasy, pride, pity, grief, envy and regret. Finally, today was a good day because I didn't look at my bookshelf or scan through my podcasts of Christian authors and speakers and instantly resent or covet any of their teachings or other tributes of their neatly packaged copyrighted success. (Except for maybe Brennan Manning) Why does every sentence he writes have to be so dang poetically lyrical and soothing to my soul? Ugh...I hate him for that.

Most importantly today was a good day because I woke up feeling like I was indeed pleasing to God and that I was in fact living into the calling that he has placed on my life. You see in my line of work (technically it is unwork cuz I don't get paid for it) this doesn't happen all to often. Not because there aren't legions of people encouraging and affirming my wife and I. (And there are, and I am so grateful for your prayers and affirmation). Certainly not because I don't feel a burden and passion for my city and my choice of ministry but because I, like others in my field of work are so dependent on God's mercy and provision of “emotional daily bread” that we can literally slip out a stinky fart and be in serious doubt as to whether our lives are a spiritual “sweet smelling incense.”

I neglected to give my proper introduction...ahem, “Hello my name is Andy my wife and I are church planters.” For the past three months we have been working with a denomination to start a church in our little nook of Tacoma. It has been emotionally draining at the same time so positively reassuring and encouraging. Never in my brief christian ministry life have I felt so exited and content while at the same time so utterly insecure and close to failure.

The purpose of this blog is two-fold. 1) I want to look back one day at the entries I have posted and be humbled and amazed at God's provision for my life and what he has taught me and brought my family through during this season. 2) I want my writings to act as a self-reflective commiseration during genuine times of hardship while at the same time a kick in the crotch during my self induced mopey-moes.