I greet you from car 8, seat 28, on Amtrak Cascade train 506, heading towards Seattle, WA after a three day trip in Portland, OR.
Looking back to last Thursday, I remember feeling overwhelmed. Why would I plan a vacation the week before Easter Sunday? That was stupid. Easter, the biggest event of the year for churches.
Now, however, I am more aware than ever, that Easter is not an event and although it is the greatest of all reasons to celebrate, my presence makes no difference on Easters "success". God has already made Easter a success, hence the reason we celebrate, through Jesus. Not Sydney.
I had to let that uneasiness go as God opened my eyes to new relationships and opportunities to make much of him and less of myself this weekend.
Lesson #1: God doesn't NEED us to achieve his plans and purposes. However, he does USE us to achieve his plans and purposes.
He made that clear from the start, as I missed my 7:30am train and had to wait till the 9:40am train. Once boarded, I met a Japanese exchange student, named Rina. We had both missed the earlier train and now found ourselves side-by-side. I soon found out that because she had missed the train, it also made her miss her bus home from Portland. She said that she was planning on shopping until the next bus would arrive. I told her that wouldn't do, and that she should hang out with Hannah and I until her bus came.
She proceeded to come with us to Mars Hill Portland, or "The Castle" as it's called, and I showed Hannah some of the Mars Hill Kids stuff, including the Psalm 136: 2-4 music video from the Rizers. Afterwards, Rina asked Hannah about Easter and Hannah proceeded to lay out the gospel to her. It was such a blessing to witness. We took Rina to her bus and she txted me that night to let me know she was safe. I woke up the next morning to see that Mars Hill had posted THIS the day that I had met Rina. Tears, of course, followed.
On Saturday, I decided to go on an adventure.
I caught a bus and made my way to Lardo, a food truck on SE Belmont. Upon my arrival to my destination. My mouth started watering as my eyes perused the menu, especially the infamous Porchetta sandwich. To my right a young bearded man with glasses, and who was topped with a hat, met my eyes. He introduced himself as Duke and we proceeded to have a joyful conversation about church, Jesus, writing and food. I found out that he worked at Starbucks and went to a church called Door of Hope. As well as Jesus, Duke has a passion for writing. He's been published in a bunch of of the wall magazines and papers.
As we sat to eat our pork fat we met a gentleman next to us named, Frank. He asked us if we were local because he was surprised that Duke prayed over our food. Frank was interested in checking out Mars Hill Portland and had some strange connection to Duke's hometown. In short, God joins his people in random ways.
Lesson #2: Life is not random. God is in complete control. He builds relationships, community and his kingdom out of misfits.
As we sat to eat our pork fat we met a gentleman next to us named, Frank. He asked us if we were local because he was surprised that Duke prayed over our food. Frank was interested in checking out Mars Hill Portland and had some strange connection to Duke's hometown. In short, God joins his people in random ways.
Lesson #2: Life is not random. God is in complete control. He builds relationships, community and his kingdom out of misfits.
It was difficult to enjoy my time, thinking about how stressful this season of life is for Fred and Dana. With Dana's mom nearing death and Fred going to AZ to support her. I felt selfish going on vacation. But through Dana's struggles with caring for her mom, it forced me to look at my relationships with my family.
Many times I have chosen work over people, making claims that my work was for Christ so it is of the most importance. However, God challenged me this weekend with the stark fact that life is a gift and so is time. It is not something that we can claim entitlement to. Time is not in our control, no matter how many plans and spreadsheets are made, ultimately it is owned by God alone. I can't imagine losing Mom or Dad, but there is always a what if.
Not that we should live in fear of the unknown, God often calls us to action, but rather, that we should cherish the time God gives and desire to build relationships with those he has given us the ability to do so with.
Hannah and Ryan are housing an intern Kiel. It was a joy to get to know him and we got to chat while I made dinner on Saturday night. We shared our testimonies including our past regrets but also talking about God's redemption of it all. It really challenged me to remember that God is so much bigger than my sin and the Cross overshadows all of it.
Lesson #4: We are not defined by our past. We are defined by Jesus.
It was such a blessing to hear how Mars Hill Portland is growing and how much the congregants have stepped up to help the church with all of their miscellaneous needs. I loved talking with Hannah about the extreme grace she has witnessed and how much prayer has become an integral part of her life. Hannah has always had an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, a big part of the reason I have continued to look to her for guidance. She continued to remind me that God has done a continual work in the city and that it is when she relies on herself to do mission, when that mission begins to fail.
As I reflect, I am thanking God for this time to be refreshed in community and grace. He truly does renew our faith daily. Sometimes it takes the air of a new place and the company of old friends to see that truth. I can't wait for my next visit to PDX, it truly feels like home.
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