big week

well, dad's home safe and we had an amazing day at church yesterday. we found a new one in one of the growing suburbs of the major city here and have gone for the past 2 weeks. it meets in the movie theatre and it's 2 years old.

the lead pastor (i don't think he calls himself that) and i have already had a better conversation than i ever had w/ the old sp in the full 5 years we had been at our last church.

yesterday he told, and told is the right word, he didn't preach, he just talked, about his biggest frustration being the questions 'when are we going to build a building?' liam and i sat there and had everything we had been saying for the past 2 years confirmed. our OLD church just went through a 5.4 million $ expansion, they paved paradise to put up their stinking parking lots and are now talking that it's too small and they have to 'grow again'... it sickened us as broader, not deeper growth was their goal. this illusion of the mega church just wearied our souls.

at the new church he spoke of growing people, not building projects, planting new works instead of super-sizing everything. they just celebrated their second anniversary yesterday and are already planting another church on the south side of the city, and have plans to do 3 more in the next 8 years. vibrant, relevant, life-giving churches. it was such a gift to liam and i to know that we aren't crazy.

the best thing about it is that our kids are really enjoying it too. they so needed something to replace all that we have left. this is really good for them too.

so, this week will be filled with things like real talks with my dad about moving, where he'll go if we head to canada, immigration issues and next. i'm tired of big decisions, tired of intense conversations and life changing so very quickly, but i know it's time. we need to get past some of this so we don't fritter away our decisions with indecision.

sunday night is also the OLD church's first business meeting since all of the fall-out. i know it will be on our radar screen all week. getting past the 24th will be a good thing too. i think we secretly want people to raise a big stink and come to our defense... i have to keep praying thy will be done... thy will be done... thy will be done... thy will be done... thy will be done... thy will be done...

have a great day!