Two Things

            Two things I'd like to share with you (my faithful readers) this week.  One is informative and one is reflective.  Most of all, I seem to have made a habit of this whole blogging thing and I find that I just keep doing it.  Strange...
            First the reflective.  A couple weeks ago I got to be a part of the wedding of two very close friends.  I've known Anne Weaver and Bob Kessler for almost 10 years now, and I have been so blessed by their friendship.  I don't really like the term "best friend," because it feels like I have to choose a winner for the "friendship contest."  But these two people are the closest I come to having "best friends."  I've gotten to walk with them through most of their long courtship; I've hurt with them and rejoiced with them all along the way, and was so excited to hear about their engagement last year.  Celebrating the beginning of their marriage and just being together with them is something I've been looking forward to all year, even if it meant cutting my possible time in Wales a little bit short.  It was such a blessed weekend as I not only got to rejoice with Bob and Anne, but also with so many friends I haven't seen in a long time.

                                                  Check out some more amazing pictures here!

             I'm sure Bob and Anne probably got tired of hearing the word "finally" during the weekend (it was a rather long courtship, after all), even as I got tired of hearing that I had "flown all the way from Wales to be at the wedding" (though, of course, there is some truth in that).  The long wait, along with the celebration, have gotten me thinking about something else.  Christ's return and the redemption of Heaven and Earth are described as a wedding in Revelation.  Jesus is the groom and the Church (His people) is the bride.  It is a powerful image to me, and the Kessler/Weaver wedding (among others) has given me deeper insight into what God is doing.  That wedding (God's with His people) will be the greatest party and the most satisfying feast.  And we're in it!  We are both bride and bridesmaid: bride because we are lovingly redeemed by Christ; bridesmaid because we also celebrate alongside others who are united with Christ.  I got to experience what it is like to be a friend of the bride/groom this past week and it has given me a much deeper appreciation of several different verses in Scripture (i.e. John 3:29-30).  It also has given me a better comprehension of what the wait for Jesus' return is all about.  In one sense our wait for Jesus' return is Him continuing the long courtship, or perhaps the extended engagement, for God has very much already decided on us.  Perhaps we are the ones who are still struggling somewhat with indecision.  Bob and Anne's courtship was long, but as I reflect on what I know of it, I can't see that it would have been better any other way.  Maybe God's (very) long courtship is the same way.
             Now for the informative bit.  As I mentioned, I am back from Newport and continuing to work towards a religious worker visa so that I can stay for a more extended time period.  Please continue to pray for me and for the Church as we try to work towards this together.  As I work and wait towards this end, I wanted to let you know what I'm doing this summer.  After a good bit of prayer and consideration I decided to rejoin North Raleigh Church of Christ for the summer.  I am continuing to work with them as an interim youth and family minister.  They are moving through a difficult time of transition (continuing to search for a youth minister and now with their pulpit minister retiring) and could probably use all the help they can get.  Please pray also for them in this time of transition: that they would trust God, seek renewal, and draw together in love.  Also pray for me as I seek to serve them well.
              Just thought I'd try to share with you from several different angles here as the summer begins.  I will try to continue posting to keep you updated and share what I'm contemplating.

Sincerely in Christ,
Chris

Back In The United States of America

         For those of you who don't already know, I arrived back in the States this past Wednesday.  It was a long trip back (as I knew it would be), but thankfully was shorter than it could have been (I did stand-by on an earlier flight back to Raleigh when my plane was delayed two hours).  I'm thankful to be safely back in Raleigh, which, as always, seems a more beautiful and vibrant city after I have been away for a while.  But I also miss the lush, ancient hills and ridges of Wales, with the nearly endless sea always close at hand.  Like when I would leave Abilene for Raleigh (or vice-versa), I always felt I was leaving one of my homes behind.
           A lot can happen in a year.  I was reminded the other day of a conversation I had with a friend last summer about relationships, marriage, and all that.  He was not dating anyone at the time and we mused about what the past had brought and what the future might bring.  Now a year later he's engaged and looking forward to marriage.  A lot can happen in a year.
           That being said, a lot can NOT happen in two months.  My parents can testify to my frustration the other day as we drove around Raleigh and I noticed that one of my "favorite" apartment developments in-progress had barely changed at all in the two months I was away in Wales (this is probably a bit of an exaggeration).  God and time change many things, but some slower and some faster than we would prefer.
            I say all of this, in part, as a reflection on my time in Wales and, in part, as an introduction to what may be next.  It appears that I will be back in the United States till at least September.  This is not exactly according to my plans or preferences.  Newport Church of Christ hosts their Holiday Bible School (HBS) at the end of July with the help of some Lipscomb students and then joins other churches for British Bible Camp (BBC) in early August.  I would really like to be back for these two important times, but I am persuaded that my visa paperwork will probably take longer than that.  Still, I am more and more looking forward to joining my brothers and sisters in Newport long-term.  There is a great deal of opportunity for God's Kingdom to grow and mature there, and I am looking forward to being a part of that in the ways God calls me.  I suppose I will have to wait a bit longer yet.  Hopefully I will let you know soon what I will be up to this summer, but I will just say for now that I trust God it will be good.

I think I'll close with five lessons I learned during my past two months in Wales:

1.  Listening to God is hard work, but it is one of the most important things we can do.  To really listen to God takes a lot more work than it sounds like.  There are so many things (in myself and outside) that get in the way.  Still it is worth the hard work to know God's heart and voice.
2.  The Gospel is the core of who we are as Christians.  It is both simple and incredibly complex.  I spent a lot of time thinking about and trying to understand the Gospel while I was in Wales.  It was hard to get beyond what "I already know."  But as I did get beyond this with God's help, I gained a better understanding, which I know will be essential to ministry wherever I am.
3.  God is faithful, and He expects us to be faithful.  God reminded me again and again during my time in Wales that He is faithful.  This was so important as I felt quite overwhelmed at times and didn't know what to do.  But as I continued to seek Him,  God also continued to pound into me that He expects me to be faithful where I am with what He has given me.
4.  Hospitality is huge.  Not only did I receive enormous hospitality from Christians in Newport/Cardiff, I also saw them extending "excessive" hospitality to others.  Surely this is an important part of what it means to live as a Christian, and one that we have not always honored within the American Church.
5.  Culture is cool.  I continue to be blessed and amazed by the opportunities I have been given to really dig into different cultures, comparing and contrasting their idiosyncrasies and personalities.  I look forward to doing this far more in the future.

Sincerely in Christ,
Chris