Wow. Where to begin…
As I sit and write this blog in the Barnes and Noble Café,
thoughts and feelings overwhelm me as I reflect on SummerLINK. Even if I just reflect on this week, I
see how God has moved in my personal life and the life of our team.
God, in His perfect sovereignty, has placed James Wilson and
Michelle Ellis as the leaders for the second half of these 10 weeks. Because of His sovereign will, they are
the perfect leaders for our team in these next weeks. Continually, I am able to see and experience personally how
both of these Godly people serve, support, and direct our team forward as we
continue to live life on mission.
One of the most incredible things for us in these past few
weeks has been to see the fruit that has come from the work that the Lord has
provided for us (Ephesians 2:10). I
look out on Sunday morning and see people sitting in the congregation that, if
not for God’s work through us, would not be in church otherwise.
As this time is a limited time in Myrtle Beach for our team,
it is easy to be discouraged and to feel like our work is not done here. To feel like we could have done more,
or that we should do more. Though
sometimes the Lord calls us to stay and continue ministry in a certain place,
many times He calls us to move.
Though this can be troubling at times, I find comfort that the growth
and movement of God’s kingdom is not in my hands, but He controls it. We get
to join in His mission, and as we move where He calls us, we trust that He will
complete the good work that He has begun through us (Philippians 1:6). He is a faithful and trustworthy God.
This past Sunday, our pastor at Cornerstone Church, Russ
Bennett, returned from a mission trip to Costa Rica. To say that the Lord had given him a renewed spirit and
passion from Russ’s time there would be an understatement. As he and another church member, Paul
Moore, shared about their time in Costa Rica, our team’s hearts were convicted and
empowered to continue to live missionally. The Psalmist writes that we are to “declare God’s glory
among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all the peoples” (Psalm 96:3). But why?
“For GREAT is the Lord and most worthy to be praised” |
Psalm 96:4a
This is a huge reminder for the followers of Christ. We worship our God with our lives not
only because of what He has done, but also because of who He is. He is great. He is worthy.
Monday was our reflection night, and Barnes and Noble has
become my regular place of reflection. My mirror, if you will. Reflection nights have been huge for me
simply because I get to sit back and see how God has worked in the past week,
and how He is continually present even in the routine of daily living.
Tuesday, we were incredibly blessed by another family in the
church. Home nights have been some
of my favorite nights. We get to
here testimony of the Lord’s goodness from the lives of the families, and we
discuss Bonhoeffer’s book on Christian community (Life Together) as we continue
to pursue the community that God calls us to have. This specific week we were able to discuss confession and
the importance of it in community.
Confession is not for our embarrassment, but for our healing (James
5:16). God does not call us to
wallow in our sin, but for us to be continually healed and sanctified!
Wednesday, Logan Pierce led our small group where we were
able to reflect on what the Lord had done on Sunday, but also to look forward
and see that we are to declare his glory and deeds among all the peoples.
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| Making a joyful noise after bible study at the Raleys! |
Thursday was a time we got to celebrate Mackenzie Morgan’s birthday as a team. Needless to say, with help from Chick-fil-a hats and a Despicable Me birthday cake, we celebrated!!! Thursday was also a time for the men and women to spend time within our own gender groups. The men were able to continue in practicing James 5:16 and then went out and made a little clothing purchase…Ryan Heard…be prepared…
Saturday, we were able to serve with the church within the
church as we built and painted an addition to the stage for Sunday morning
worship. Working, painting, and
cleaning were some small tasks we could do to repay the blessings that the
Lord, through this church, has given us.
That Saturday night we had our social at the Myrtle Beach
Pelicans baseball game. Appropriately,
it was Clemson/Carolina night and you already know that we rocked out the
cadence count!
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| 1-2-3-4! 1-2-3-4! C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-R-S! Fight Tigers, Fight Tigers Fight! Fight! Fight! Woo! |
Our current time as a team in Myrtle Beach is coming to and
end, but it is incredibly exciting and encouraging to look back on the Lord’s
faithfulness to us. He was faithful to Abraham. He’s been faithful to our team all summer. He will be faithful as we move on in
the future.
It’s just who He is.
“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise”
- Andrew Flowers
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