Reality Check

Great service last night at Quest, detailing missions around the world.

Quest has established partnerships with local churches on the ground in India, and as part of the service last night some of the Quest staffers who've been involved with that or who've visited the missions in India shared their stories. The talks weren't really that long, but were very powerful for me.

These people, especially the ones truly risking everything to plant churches in areas where persecution presents a very real threat, have such a clear understanding of their faith that it's almost intimidating to someone like me who's still in the seeking process. Almost. What I came to realize by the end of the service was that I should see these people as inspirational, rather than intimidating.

That's a roadblock I've run up against in the past in my experiences with hard-core Christians, but I don't think I'd ever understood how to address that until last night. The problem, I think, is that it's so unfortunately rare to find someone carrying the banner of Christianity who's also living it the other six days a week. Quest has demonstrated - does demonstrate - that there are people all around who are more than nominal Christians, and who truly lead lives worthy of imitating.

I suppose I'm still wrestling with skepticism to a degree, but there was no room for skepticism last night as I sat at my desk processing what I'd heard. Rather, I've found I have an increased resolve to tear down whatever remaining walls I've built over the past thirty years so that I can finally and whole-heartedly take the step that people elsewhere in the world have literally died for.

Daddy Day

My plan was to write this yesterday, but a particularly busy weekend threw me off schedule. This Sunday marked my first Father's Day with a *human* baby (and yes, I did celebrate previous years with my kids of the feline/canine persuasion), and I found myself thinking back over the past year or so and the changes that have come.

It was because of the prospect of becoming parents - and *only* because of that prospect - that my wife and I launched on our church-shopping adventure. Before our daughter's arrival, it was because of her that we stuck it out even as our prospects began to dwindle. As I've mentioned previously, we were right on the verge of giving up when we finally found Quest.

Becoming a father has brought about many changes in my life, a few expected and many, many more that were not. High on my short list of "Best Unintended Consequences of Fatherhood" would have to be the extent to which Quest has become intertwined with my life. What began as a search for a kid-friendly church where our daughter could pick up basic morals without the excess religious baggage has instead led me down a path I couldn't even see a year ago. As I try to figure out what's next, it seems that around every turn there's another truly helpful and caring person willing to help me find my way.

Hmm. A father, searching for a safe place for his kid. Interesting theme!

Setting the Stage (Literally!)

As I write this, I'm tired and more than a little stiff. My Life Group met at Quest tonight to help set up for this Wednesday's (first ever) Tailgating Baptism!

We set up four huge tanks and assembled the stage Pastor Pete and the band will use. Some nice guys from the LFD brought their equipment over and helped us fill the tanks from a hydrant. All in all, it took about five hours to get things pretty much in order - counting about an hour or so in the middle to grill out some hot dogs and brats. A pre-tailgating, if you will.

All the while, I was contemplating the irony. After all, I'm still sorting out this whole church thing. Yet there I was, freely giving of my Sunday evening to put in some fairly strenuous physical labor all so that come Wednesday 120 people can, as Pete puts it, "go public for Jesus." And not only did I not mind to do it, I actually enjoyed it.

Regardless of where I am in my own religious quest, I'm mindful that the others around me are going through more or less the same process. They're just at different points along the way. This Wednesday, we'll gather to cheer on the ones who've made the commitment and want the world to hear their story. It'll be cool to know that my Life Group did a tiny little part to make that happen!

Reading

Just to keep my blog current, and for the benefit of my reading public (which comprises, well, me), I wanted to provide a brief explanation as to where I've been the last little bit.

Quest is continuing the series on Ephesians, and each week has been more thought-provoking and insightful than the last. Unfortunately, I've missed the Wednesday service the last couple of weeks due to a child-care crisis that has thankfully been resolved. Still, though, there's been plenty to process just from weekend services and Life Group. So, I could have written plenty had I had time to do so.

But I haven't, as I've spent almost all my free time the last couple of weeks reading. Now, that in and of itself isn't that big of a deal - I read a lot anyhow. But I've just in the last little bit really gotten into religious writings, a field I used to dismiss out-of-hand as hopelessly idealistic or biased, depending on the author.

Turns out, though, there are actually some *really good* writers out there, and they're not nearly as "preachy" as I'd assumed all religious writers to be.

Right now, I have going the following:

• Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning - suggestion of a good friend
• Mere Christianity, by CS Lewis - classic
• Rumors of Another World, by Phil Yancey - mentioned in a Quest sermon
• The Bible Jesus Read, also by Phil Yancey
• Fingerprints of God, by NPR's relgion correspondent Barbara Bradley Haggerty

All of which is to say, I'll be writing more later!