When God Comes To Uptown

After nearly five years as the Executive Pastor of Heartland Church you would think I would have settled into a routine.  Yet, for better or for worse, that is not at all the case.  You see, God's church is alive.  And, living things change.  And, change and routine don't really work very well together.

A couple of weeks ago I more or less took the week off from most church events.  I missed the men's Bible group and Celebrate Recovery that Saturday morning, I didn't teach that Wednesday night, and I only attended one service on that particular Sunday.  And, in the midst of that time away I found myself in a place of "holy discontentment."  It was nothing I could really put my finger on -- just feeling tired and maybe like my small part of the ministry at Heartland Church was not really going anywhere.

But then, this Saturday came.  Most Saturday mornings I spend three and a half to four hours (sometimes longer) in one of our elementary school classrooms called "Uptown Kids."  That is where our Saturday morning men's group meets, and now where I also meet with other men who are involved in Celebrate Recovery.

I can't really remember how long ago I started our Saturday morning men's group, but I do know it was quite a while ago.  Anyway, this last Saturday was unusual in that one of our Elders invited an old friend to give his testimony to the group.  It was amazing to hear how God has worked in this man's life -- including the obstacles that have been overcome.  We usually end the men's group with prayer, and this Saturday was no exception.

Among the other prayer needs, we prayed for a man who had joined us for the first time, who is going through some difficult issues, and who normally attends a very conservative church.  We laid hands on this man and began to pray, and tears immediately started to flow.  He then dropped to his knees as we continued to pray for him.  It was pretty apparent that God was doing something remarkable right there in front of us.

Anyway, after we had finished for the morning I visited with this man for a moment.  He told me that he had never experienced anything like he had that morning in his entire life.  He then remarked that if this is what God does in a kid's classroom on Saturday mornings he was anxious to see what God did in the sanctuary on Sundays!

Then, today I spoke with a good friend of mine who was also there on Saturday.  He told me that he nearly skipped this Saturday, but decided to go ahead and show up.  This man has a very unique testimony, including a number of life experiences that I would not wish on anyone.  

When I asked what he thought about Saturday, he told me that he was blown away by our guest speaker.  But his reaction had nothing to do with the quality of our guest's delivery or the content of the message.  Instead, my friend said that for the first time in his life he found himself listening to a man whose life experiences were nearly identical to his own.  And, here is the really cool part.  Seeing what God has done for our guest brought my friend a new sense of hope about what God could do in his life!  

And then, during our Celebrate Recovery study, God spoke to me.  I had really mixed emotions about participating in Celebrate Recovery.  On the one hand I was concerned about being in an environment with that kind of transparency given that I am a pastor at the church.  On the other hand, I felt like I should go through the Celebrate Recovery myself if I was going to promote and oversee the program.

But, on Saturday morning I realized there was something that bothered me about Celebrate Recovery -- and that was the prospect of "change" in my own life.  You see, God has completely changed my life over the last decade.  And, while the change has been incredible, even good change is not always easy.  And so, on Saturday I came to the realization that I am just tired of change.  I am tired of uncertainty.  I just wanted God to leave me alone for a little while and let me settle into a routine.  And, that kind of attitude really doesn't work very well with Celebrate Recovery, since CR is all about change.

But, here was the cool thing for me.  As I reflected on Saturday morning, as I thought about the man who had been so touched by God that morning, and as my friend told me about how God had touched him through our guest's testimony, I was able to embrace the prospect of change again.  I was able to let go and allow God to continue to mold me.

It occurred to me that my obedience -- my decision to follow God's prompting and start our men's group (despite my lack passion for being involved in a men's ministry) -- has born incredible fruit time and time again.  I can't even begin to tell you how many times God has shown up in a big way on Saturday mornings in that Uptown Kids classroom. 

I thank God for this incredible group of men who I have the privilege of spending time with every Saturday morning.  I thank God for the men who do the teaching, for the love these guys have for one another, for their desire to pursue God and for their obedience to His will, and for these amazing friendships.  

I joke sometimes that we might get to move out of the Uptown Kids classroom when we grow up a little.  Well, while I sometimes wonder whether men ever really grow up, we just might be getting there.