"What might God do? How will this all turn out? Will anyone really want to be part of this? Will all of the needs really get met? Is God really in all of this?"
This is just a small sampling of some of the questions I was wrestling with on September 1st, 2009 – that would be seven years ago today. Looking back can be hard at times, but it is an important exercise to do. There’s no need to dwell in the past, but it is important to remember the past. The history of GENESIS is not a long past – it’s only been seven years. But our past is filled with stories.
There are stories that make me laugh, and stories that bring tears to my eyes. There are stories that bring great joy, and stories that can only be explained by the word ‘heavy.’ There are stories that are still perplexing to me now, the kind of stories that leave you asking ‘What was all that about?’ And then there are stories that you just like to tell over and over and over again.
Seven years have gone by since GENESIS started as a brand new church in Woburn, MA. When we started, I was filled with questions. Seven years have gone by and I am filled with stories. And with each story I recall, I see one common thread weaved throughout...
God has been faithful… God has been exceedingly good!
The story that is being told through a small community named GENESIS is that God is faithful… that God is exceedingly good. The questions I was asking seven years ago were good questions, but in looking back, so many of my questions were more concerned with what will happen with me. What will be my story in all of this?
I’ve learned a lot over the past seven years… too much to put in this post. But one thing I have learned that will impact the next seven years is this:
If I make it about ‘my story’ I’ll miss out on seeing all God wants to do with me in His Story.
I am convinced that God has more of Him that He wants me to see.
I am convinced that God has more of Him that He wants you to see.
I am convinced that God has more of Him that He wants GENESIS to see.
If we make today, tomorrow, or the next seven years about ‘our story’, we will miss out on seeing ALL that God wants to do with us in His Story.
I love September 1st. It’s a day for me to look back… to reflect on ALL God has done. As I look back I am encouraged, inspired, and absolutely blown away by ALL that God has done. But September 1st is not just about looking back, it reminds me to keep looking forward. And as I look forward GENESIS, I believe God is inviting us to be part of His ongoing Story.
I don’t know what the next seven years will hold for you… for all of us, but I do know this. As we walk together in His Story, I am confident that that we will be saying then what we can say today… He has done “Immeasurably more!”
Grateful to be on this journey with you all…
