plant and run

Beauty is a curious thing. Something inside of us insatiably craves things that are beautiful. When we find them we capture them and hang them up on a wall in our houses. But once we finally have beauty in our grasp, it slowly leaks through our fingers. We can’t hold onto it. We find ourselves rushing past it ten times a day without even a fleeting glance. The beauty that initially captivated us becomes common.

And then we have guests over for dinner.

Our friends come over and enjoy the pot roast and the conversation and they marvel at the beauty hanging above the mantle. They stare at it and they oh and ah. They ask, “how in the world did you find this?”

We just smile while beauty comes flooding back and overtakes us once again.

Lawrence and Alf were my dinner guests this weekend in Pennsylvania. We spent four days exploring Philly and Lancaster County, reminiscing with old friends, and eating.

First of all, we met with individuals or groups from five churches (Pike Creek Bible Church, New Hope Community Church, Christian Fellowship Church, Calvary Church, Grace Fellowship Church) and two universities (PBU and Eastern). All sent mission teams down to New Orleans after Katrina.

Spending time with old friends was life giving. It was so thrilling to be reminded of the stories of lives around the country impacted by “the Katrina experience.” We probably have underestimated the number of people whose lives were redirected by a week down in New Orleans.

Maybe now more than ever, we need to be reminded of those stories. We need to know the faces that they remember helping so that we can return to those rebuilt homes and continue the story. We need to beckon them to come back down and maybe knock on those doors with us.

Walmart Parking Lot

Secondly, we team preached at Grace Fellowship Church on Sunday morning. Frankly, it is a ton of work to team teach through a sermon, but it is also a ton of fun. We learned a lot about each other and about team. Once we start the new church, I think that it will definitely be worth our time to preach together like this every once in a while. But on a regular Sunday, we’ll just rotate who preaches each week.
Finally, Alf and Lawrence got a chance to experience Crystal’s roots. We spent a majority of our time in Lancaster County and stayed with my in-laws. We chased Amish buggies into the Walmart parking lot [yes, they shop there], ate at a small town firehouse turkey dinner fundraiser and went to a Phillies game.

got tickets outside the stadium about an hour before the game for face value. Jesus provides. lol.

It was bittersweet to be around all of Crystal’s family and home culture without her, but in a way it was really good and healthy for me. I got a chance to see things through Alf and Lawrence’s fresh eyes.
I love my wife. I love all that makes her who she is. Perhaps part of it is how different her roots are than mine. I know that God has fused our
backgrounds together intentionally.

So a lot of things came together for me this weekend. Team…family…Katrina…calling…

It’s a beautiful thing.