10 years of Hope

Bobbi-Jo and I attended our last staff Christmas party with Hope Community Church last night. Lots of fun. Because this summer/fall has been such a whirlwind, and because we're not going to really to be gone, I've hardly had time to think about leaving Hope, but I did yesterday afternoon.

When I moved down here I was looking for a big church. When I couldn't find one, I found this little 'startup church' called Hope Community Church that was affiliated with my church in Ohio. I really didn't want to be a part of a 'startup church', but as I started attending there, even though I was the only single twenty-something in the 150 or so people that were attending at the time, I found family. I found a really warm group of people that were seeking after the Lord and loved me. And I got a job, a wife, a whole new group of friends, another job, and a crazy journey out of the whole thing. And, in large part because of Mike's heart, I have a radically different understanding of God's love for the world and how He wants to use the church to speak into our culture.

It's pretty impossible to think about what my life would be like if I hadn't gotten a random phone call 10 years ago from a secretary at my church in Ohio letting me know about Hope. It's impossible to describe how fulfilling it's been over the past 10 years to see and be a part of this church growing and affecting so many people's lives. It's impossible to describe how much the people there mean to me.

Last night was not really a goodbye, but it did provide some form of closure... like 'we're going now and things aren't going to be the same and that's alright'... more than alright, what God has done here deserves to be celebrated. And to be honest, I'm too excited about what God is doing at Visio Dei to be the least bit sad or nostalgic. Sunday was amazing. I don't know what happened there, but it was amazing and it would again be impossible to describe how excited I am to see what God is going to do in and through this group of people.

Thanks so much for being a part of my journey and letting me be a part of yours. Life's pretty great...

BTW - spent the morning at the Royal Bean on Hillsborough... Amanda fixed me a cup of the Kenyan Peaberry in a french press and I had a fresh cranberry scone... highly recommend this place, stop by sometime.