Miscellaneous Musings
I have a lot on my mind these days so forgive the long blog that I’m sure this will be! I’m going to do a little catharsis and just get it all out. I’ll make it easy to skim so just pick the bullet that looks most interesting to you, if you’ve even made it this far!
- My daughter is leaving for college in the fall. I waffle between pride and self-pity every time I think about it. I know she’s ready. She is far more mature than I was at 18 and that’s what makes me so proud of her. At the same time I’m not ready to be apart from her. Ten hours is too far away. I can’t imagine not seeing her beautiful face every day. She is one of my favorite people to talk to in the world and the phone just doesn’t cut it. Why did God design parenting in such a way that we would love our children so much only to one day let them go? That just seems weird to me right now and maybe even wrong! But it is the reality nonetheless. I don’t think I’m good at letting go. Maybe that’s the moral of this musing. Learn to let go or better yet learn to embrace the reality that she was never mine and always God’s. I just lived with the illusion that I had some kind of hold on her.
- Saying good-by to a partner in ministry that I have worked closely with for 8+ years is hard. It takes time to learn someone else’s strengths and gifts. It takes years of trial and error to know how you fit together on a team. Then things are clicking and you feel the synergy the Spirit brings. Suddenly, everything changes. Your friend and partner moves on and you begin the process again with this gaping hole in your team. It has been such a blessing to see God begin to fill that hole with so many committed volunteers. I have been so proud of how so many people in our church have handled a difficult situation with so much grace, encouragement and prayer. The greatest healing comes when we yield ourselves to the Spirit and allow Him to shape and mold us through the painful changes life brings.
- I’m excited about the future! Our attendance numbers, member’s classes and new visitors indicate we are in a season of growth and momentum at Crossroads. As leaders we have been working for some time now on some long range plans. Just this week I was consolidating some of the work we have done into a working document that we will be refining in the coming weeks. Long range planning is not a strong suit of my leadership but as I see the plans begin to coalesce I am getting excited. Here is a taste of what’s coming:
- I believe God is calling us to invest in greater ways in our families through “home discipleship”.
- Volunteer Central and Sermon Based Small Groups will continue to strengthen relational connections in our church.
- God is nudging us toward partnerships with the urban centers that surround our area.
- Our taste of “Service Worship” in November last year needs to grow!
- Making room for more folks in our facilities is a must. We need to make creative use of our current facilities and plan for growth.
D. Spring! Everything looks better when the sun shines on it! The sun is making me squint right now as I sit at my desk at 4:35 on a Wednesday afternoon. Life is good and God is great! Our Easter series is “Faith & Doubt”. I am praying that the Son will shine His light on the dark corners of doubt in the hearts of so many.
- Kris Vos
