Whoopee!! I have now entered the world of blogging. What am I doing?? Anyway, I have started this blog to jounal about my move to San Franciso! Yep, San Fran. So Why am I moving to San Fran? I know a lot of people have been asking what is Nate really doing!?!?!?!? I will keep this short and sweet hopefully. I have been on quit a journey the past couple years. I finished up my time with Outlaw Ranch about 6 months ago. I loved my time there!! I miss it some days. But, my body just couldn't do it anymore. I was tired. Thank you to you all that affected my life because of our time together there. It was good.
Anyway, I have also been challenged much these past few years about how we go about doing this thing we call church. I have been rereading the gospels and thinking "what if Jesus really meant what he said?" To feed the poor, to befriend the friendless, to take in the widow, to love the unloveable, to live where life happens. In John 4 (those of you have lived around me this past year have heard me talk about this one) Jesus goes to where people need to feel loved. He goes and risks His reputation to make sure the samaritan women feels loved! He doesn't wait for her to find Him, He goes to her. Why then do we as the church expect people to always come into our space??? Why do we sit in our comfortable pews and feel safe there?? Isn't time we risk a little and get out there and actually live like Christ did. His life was certainly not safe. He risked to love.
I went through many stages including the possibility of going to Sem. to try to change things from the inside out. But, through much frustrating with the institutional church I have decided that for now I need to go and just do it.As Shane Claiborne says, "“We’re going to stop complaining about the church that we’ve seen and we’re going to be the church that we dream of……we’re going to learn to love like Christ did.” I'm done complaining, I'm done trying to convince others, I'm done talking. It is time for me to finally do. It's taken awhile, but it's finally time. So I'm moving to San Francisco.
I will be moving into a church that lives together called Church of the Sojourners. They live in 4 houses in the Mission District, a poorer neighborhood of San Fran. They combine their resources to live simply. My goal is to learn to love like Christ did. My goal is to spend my extra time and resources to help those around me. I know it sounds a little cultish, but I had the opportunity to visit in May and I really felt like this is where God wants me at this point. I have made a commitment to be there for the next year and then we'll see what happens after that. But, the church also says that we are together as long as God allows. Which means as soon as we all feel like it's time to move, it's time to move on.
I am most nervous right now about leaving my comfortable life. I have a great set of friends and family here in Rapid City which I am really struggling with leaving. But, again, it is time to move on. So here, I will "blog" about my time. If people read it great, if not that's ok too. It will a space for me to process. I will write what God is up to with me. I would love to here what God is up to with you too. So let me know!! And let me know how I can be praying for you all. I love you all. Thank for you support and love that you have given me. Thank for your understanding of my unsettled life that God seems to be leading me on. Maybe one day I'll settle somewhere for a while, but it seems like whenever I make plans, God changes them anyway. Thanks and we'll talk to ya'all real soon.
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