A Baby Arrives!

SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR AN IMPORTANT FACILITY UPDATE. (Our issue may be at an end - scroll below!)

A seed is a fascinating part of life. Consider this startling truth: any tree large enough to tower over us and defy a hundred years of wind and rain was packed into a thing no larger than an acorn in the beginning. In fact, that’s what an acorn is: a tree waiting to happen. It’s a tiny package which contains everything required to start a process that builds a tree out of dirt. And you can carry it in your pocket. You can flick it with a finger. And for some number of years, even as that tree begins to grow, you could master it with nothing more than a hedge trimmer or a sharp knife or even your bare hands. But over time that acorn-sized package that you could once flick with a finger will become strong enough to shift the foundation of a house and hold you – and a dozen others like you – in it’s branches. And all of it from something no larger than an acorn. A seed is a fascinating part of life.

At 7:18 am this morning, after a few courageous pushes, the next addition to our family, Abigail, stepped into her place in this world. At this point in her story, she is just the first few tentative steps from her acorn-sized beginning. At this point in her story, she can still become almost anything. A whole web of possibilities is spread out before her like the many branches of a tree. What people will she know? What successes will she celebrate? What places will she visit? What fears will she harbor? What kind of person will her journey make her? This tiny package will collect a lifetime’s worth of memories and experiences. This is a truly fascinating point in her journey.

These are powerful principles. Can we gain the ability to see the tree in the acorn, the “man” in the “boy”, or the Nobel laureate in the finger-painting child? It’s the lesson of the seed. Life is not so much about the big things around us, but those small acorn-sized beginnings that preceded them. It’s one of Jesus’ favorite analogies for the Kingdom. Any outcome would not be possible without a humble beginning because a seed is all you get at the start. Can that change the way you look at this point in your story, right now?

Our church is nothing more than a step or two from an acorn sized package of ideas right now. A huge web of possibilities is spread out before us, and this is our point of maximum possibility. Like my one-day old daughter, at this point in our story as a church, we can still become almost anything. But it’s something we have to choose to see. It’s the lesson of the seed. Our next chapter begins this Sunday at 10 am at the Homewood Suites (visit our website for directions). Be part of the journey.

We hope to see you there.

CSW

Click to listen to our podcast.

IMPORTANT FACILITY UPDATE
The 6 weeks has become 3! Many thanks to all who’ve “ached” through our many ups and downs. This process has been daunting at times. We took a courageous step in giving up our contract at Silver City because we felt it was the best “big picture” thing to do in the midst of a difficult situation even though we had no immediate backup plan. It serves as a kind of confirmation that a surprising opportunity has emerged in it’s place with better options for kids ministries, a better meeting space for our Sunday services and equipment storage as a bonus. Our first Sunday in the new facility will be August 6th. We’ll make an official announcement with all the details in our service this Sunday. We hope to see you there!

LAST SUNDAY
Our last Sunday at Silver City focusing on a potential “launch sequence” for unleashing the rest of a great church. You can listen to the service from our website.

THIS SUNDAY
The first in our “6 weeks of a slightly different service”. We’re meeting at the Homewood Suites on Burloak just south of the QEW (visit our website for directions). We believe this will be a critical part of the “acorn sized beginning” of our next chapter (see devotional above). It’s something we’ve talked about at length over the past two Sundays (you can listen for yourself on our podcast). We’ve got the 90 minutes on a Sunday up and running – now help us with the “launch sequence” to unleash the rest of a great church.