Saguaros and Following Jesus

Those of you who know me understand how I love to connect my love for Jesus with nature. I thought I would share something I came across this morning in some of my old notes about growing together in Jesus and how it relates to the natural growth in Saguaros, the symbol of the beautiful Sonoran Desert where we live.

Rooted in Christ: There is no such thing as a Christ-follower without being rooted and founded in the life Jesus Christ offers. Much like a Saguaro cactus and its singular, impressive taproot which mines the depths for underground water, we as Christ-followers have our own singular “taproot”—Jesus Christ. (Colossians 2:6-7) Saguaros also have a large, intricate maze of roots close to the surface which collects any available rain water. For the Christ-follower, this labyrinth of “roots” is continually formed through reading Scripture and spending time in prayer.

Growing with God’s Family: Following Christ is meant to be lived out in community with others who believe. Connecting with God’s family builds support, precipitates growth, and makes our roots in Christ visible. Saguaros are only able to grow so tall because of inter-connected rib structures which support the cactus during times of plenty and times of drought. Every part of the rib structure is necessary and important. Likewise, the body of Christ is most dynamic and active through all seasons when every Christ-follower “does its work”. (Ephesians 4:16)

Serving our Community: Saguaros are known for the way they provide for the animal life around them. They serve as community feeding stations, places of rest, and homes to raise families. The church should be known for the way we serve our communities—offering rest for the weary-hearted, food for the hungry, and help for families. “For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

Sending out Leaders: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21) Jesus’s words to the disciples still ring true today, as we train and equip Christ-followers to go and share the good news of Jesus, and start new groups and new churches. Saguaros send out thousands of seeds in hopes of planting new Saguaros. We will be achieving our vision when we produce and send “seeds” in hopes of planting successful, new churches. Reproduction for the Saguaro and for us takes time but by faith and patience we will follow Jesus’s instruction to send out leaders.

Raspberries in My Salad?

I'll never forget the first time I had raspberries in my salad. Well, actually I had raspberries in fruit salads prior to this experience, but never in a salad with lettuce, white stuff, and walnuts. I still don't know what to call the white stuff--I think it is some type of cheese.

It was about ten years ago when we met Josh and Katie Melhorn for the first time. The Melhorns have become some of our closest friends; beginning with praying for our wives together as they were pregnant and sick, encouraging and praying with each other as our church, families, and jobs have gone through transition, and just being faithful friends in all circumstances. I even like going to their daughters' birthday parties! But at first I was skeptical...

Our first dinner with the Melhorns, ten years ago, started weirdly for me, and I can still remember it like it was yesterday. The salad was so fancy--raspberries, walnuts, white stuff, vinaigrette, spinach--I had never had anything like it before. Salad for my family growing up was basic fruit salad or fruit cocktail, and green salads were lettuce, maybe carrots, and thousand island dressing. This was different, new, interesting, but I wasn't sure if it would actually be good.

I decided that the polite thing to do would be to not make a joke about it, but to eat it, which I did, and was surprised that it all actually did taste pretty good. I learned Katie's meals were always good, but I also learned something else. New things can be really good, especially when prepared by someone who knows what they are doing.

I believe God has prepared something new for our family and He knows what He is doing. We are merely obeying and beginning to taste what He has in store for us. I feel like I am just beginning to pick up my fork and I haven't quite tasted everything that is in His plan for us. Like tasting raspberries outside of the salad context, I've been to Tucson but I've never tasted Tucson in the church planting context. What will it really be like? Will it be good? What about all the other elements in the salad--new friends, new experiences, new people? I don't even know what the white stuff is yet, and I surely don't know what everything is yet in what God has put in front of us.

I want to start by savoring this experience that God has prepared for my family. I know it will be good. Like eating the salad, I'm going to start slow, maybe a little apprehensive, but boldly I will go forward and eat and plant. And it will be good.

For the Record

I love the random button on my iPod. Earlier today the song, "For the Record", came on by Stretch Armstrong, a hardcore punk band that has been one of my faves through the years. Probably one of the best concerts I ever went to was at El Corazon in Seattle with Stretch and Living Sacrifice.

Anyways, the song goes "we were more than just a tour date, you were more than just a song, we sweat and sang together, and that helped us to carry on". Made me think of my time here as pastor at Terrace Heights Baptist. As I've been reflecting on my time here--this is more than just a church, this is more than just a job, this has been what I've poured my life into. We can't just look at our church and be content with it just being that--Jesus poured his blood and sweat into all of this and He is how we've carried on. And every time I sing this song (because you know I do) I think of singing and sweating with my brothers and sisters and how Christ has helped us carry on together.

Check out the song if you want:

Into the Desert

How do we go about discerning God's direction and will in our lives? As Jolene and I were seeking God's direction this past year about starting a new church in Tucson we prayed and asked for discernment. Lots of it. We read the Bible, read books, talked to mentors, talked to God--a lot, and another thing I did was reflect on my past journal entries. They were quite revealing as to what God had placed on my heart, how he had created me, and when I most heard Him.

I came across this entry on December 11, 2012, a Tuesday, I wrote out my thoughts on Mark 1:12: "The Holy Spirit plays a direct role in the leading and guiding of people. Evidently Jesus was sensitive to the Spirit's voice and obeyed it. How often do I hear the Spirit's voice? Am I following it--even if it leads me into the desert?"

A short reflection which I could not get out of my head a year and half later. Would I follow even if it meant going to the "desert" became even more real.

The previous day in December 2012, I wrote about hearing God's voice (reflecting on Mark 1:11): "God confirmed who Jesus was at the moment of his baptism. At all of Jesus's big moments God, the Father, speaks--transfiguration, before the cross, He affirms His love. God has called us his sons and daughters and has affirmed His love for us as well. At times of obedience we hear His voice best. Jesus was being obedient and following God's purpose and hearing His voice."

I believe we go about discerning God's direction and will in our lives by first and foremost being obedient with what we do know. If we are wanting discernment in our marriages--lets begin by obeying His desire to love our spouse. If you want discernment with your career--begin by obeying His directive to work as if you are working for Him. If you don't know whether He wants you to follow the call to be a pastor--begin by obeying His command to love Him and love your neighbor.

It is amazing how simple obedience helps us to hear and know God's direction. And for me it is amazing to see how now He really is leading us into the desert.

My Resignation Letter

This is hard to write. Even the "post title" is so difficult to type. I always thought I would pastor and lead the community of Terrace Heights Baptist for a very long time. 11 years of attending, 10+ years of being on staff, and 6+ years of being the interim, or lead pastor, and it seems so short. I plan on writing a lot in the upcoming days, weeks, months to share thoughts and experiences that are just bursting inside of me to share--both about the past and as we look into God's future plans for us. But being in the present means I need to share with you all that I am resigning as the lead pastor at THBC. THBC is the only place I've known in my pastoral ministry life. It is home. But God has called us to go, so we only know that we need to obey. He has directed us to go to Tucson, Arizona and plant a new church.




Here is my letter that we sent out on Wednesday to our congregation:

Members and friends of Terrace Heights Baptist,

I wish I could discuss this issue with each of you face to face, but I am constrained by time to handle this by letter. It is my duty to inform you that I will be resigning my position as pastor of Terrace Heights Baptist Church, effective after the necessary transitional pieces for THBC and my family are in place. After the sale of our house, my family and I will be moving to Tucson, Arizona with the intention of partnering with the North American Mission Board as church planters.

Our Life Together

Eleven years ago, Jolene and I first walked through the doors of THBC after being invited by Roger LeBlanc after a city league softball game. Marie Turner was the first to greet Jolene, and Marie’s genuineness left quite the impression on her, and was indicative of the church community as a whole. The church was about to go through the 40 Days of Purpose book in their small groups and I reluctantly agreed with Jolene to sign up for the group that met at Mike and Sandy Gill’s house.

A lot has changed since that September Sunday in 2003. Jolene and I arrived as spiritual babies, needing spiritual milk. God used many of you to bring us into spiritual maturity, and in turn, God called us to shepherd and lead our congregation into that same maturity in Christ. I think we can recall 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 at this point: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” You all believed this and called me to be your pastor. What an adventure it has been; God has proved his faithfulness time and time again.

Many of you are my closest friends. All of you are prayed for and loved. We have grown together, cried together, laughed together and played together. We planted a church, we sent out missionaries, we planted a tree, and we anticipated the Lord’s coming again together. You have fearlessly and unconditionally loved my wife and my kids—not every pastor can say that. Above all we have sought to be obedient together and have glorified God and His Son, Jesus, together.

Why?

The question I know will be asked: Why Tucson? The story is long, but I will try to be brief. Five years ago, Jolene and I visited Tucson on vacation and came away with a strong belief that we would return and live there some day. It was a feeling that was undeniable for both of us and we always thought it would be well after the kids graduate. Later that same year, after attending the Northwest Baptist Convention in November, God impressed on me the desire to plant churches. This is when the idea to plant a church in Moxee began forming and coming to fruition. Through following years, Tucson and church planting began to marinate in my mind and heart and they collided together this past March.

I was excited for the church planting class this past semester in seminary as Michael Johnson (our church planter in Moxee) and I were able to take it together. I was excited for all the practical help we were going to receive as we planted the Moxee church together. But God had different ideas. At first I was perplexed and disappointed as we were taught about church planting in the city with an urban emphasis, and many of the practical helps I was expecting were non-existent. The first two days of class were frustrating. Saturday morning started out the same and we began an exercise where a picture of a city would be displayed and we would have to share how we would begin to plant a church in that context. A picture of an important city in England, then Dubai in the Middle East—what does planting a church in these cities have to do with me, Yakima, and Moxee? My turn was next to share and I waited for the picture to see what I’d have to come up with. Yes, the picture was of Tucson, Arizona. God woke me up and it began to flow out of my mouth what Jolene and I would do if we were dropped in the middle of Tucson. My perspective changed, my love for Tucson changed, and my attitude towards all we had been taught up to that point changed.

I should not be surprised that God began unfolding his plan to Jolene and me. Through consistent prayer and faithful mentors we began the discerning process of when to go. After the kids graduate from high school; maybe when Ashtyn is done with elementary school; next year we could travel there to check it out after we’ve planned and saved up money; all of these options were shot down. We had no choice but to visit Tucson this year and see firsthand what God was leading us to. We went in July and one thing was made clear to us: God wants us to move to Tucson and begin the process of planting a church. There are still questions, but the step of obedience for us is clear.

This whole process has not come without great emotional distress for our whole family. We are excited to be doing what God wants us to do, but we are pained when we think about the relationships we will leave behind. Here we have a healthy church body, stability in our finances, a great elementary school for our kids, and all of you. But now we will be moving to a new city, new home, new schools, and a new church. But new is good. Good for us, and good for you too.

What Next?

The timing of our departure is tentative and much of it depends on the sale of our house. This will not stop us from beginning to move forward with the process of selecting a new lead pastor. Those of you who have been around a while know that the process works. Those of you who are new need to hang in there and with much prayer follow the lead of those who you have entrusted as leaders to serve the church at this time. You can trust them to approach the coming challenges with prayer and genuine concern to seek God’s will. As for me, I will continue to pour my heart and soul into preaching and teaching the Word of God and into prayer for you. For as long as I am here I am “all in” as your pastor, and when I leave I will still be “all in” as your friend and partner in Christ because I believe in what God is doing here at THBC and in the leadership and people of this congregation.

I know many of you will have questions and I will do my best to help us all process this whole event. As for us, we have one thing to ask from you: Will you send us out like missionaries like we sent out the Pumpellys? Would you join with us as partners? Will you be our “Mother Church” like we are for the River Church? We can’t see it any other way but to partner with those who we love so much.

Saying goodbye is part of life, maybe the most important part. It is certainly one of the most difficult things we ever do. I don’t imagine this goodbye-saying will be easy. But the goal, what we are really looking forward to—and it will come eventually—is the gratitude to God we will feel for the many years we have been granted to be friends in Christ. And that is what you all are to me, dear, dear friends.

Your friend and pastor,

Luke

Reflections from August 14, 2010

From my Life Journal on 8/14/10:

Scripture--Jeremiah 17:7-8--"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Observation--A man who walks with the Lord and is rooted in His words will not grow tired or fearful or anxious when tough times come.

Application--I need to continue to spread my roots deeper into Christ--trust His word, obey His word, study His word--then when tough, fearful, stressful times come I will continue to produce spiritual fruit in my life.

Prayer--Give me perseverance to continue digging into your word. Thank you for giving me nourishment in even the toughest times of life. Let my fruit be evident and helpful to others.

Four years later the imagery of being rooted in Christ still captures my attention. Rooted, growing, branching, producing fruit...a picture of a growing, healthy tree encapsulates for me what a growing Christ-follower ought to look like.

The root system is vital. Strong roots are essential for nourishment. Really the key to a good root system built in Jesus is trust. Trusting Jesus. Trusting He is good. Trusting He is in control. Trusting He has done the work. Trusting He alone brings fulfillment. Trusting His work bears the fruit in us. Trusting that the confidence He gives is better than what we can drum up on our own and it is a permanent confidence.

Jeremiah 17:5 reminds us "cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength". Jeremiah is a great example of how trusting God carries us through adversity. Jeremiah knew drought, both in the physical and spiritual senses of the word. Jeremiah knew what it was like to be rejected. He questioned whether God would be to him a "deceptive brook, like a spring that fails." But in spite of all of this he continued to produce the fruit of faithfulness, because he didn't depend on his own strength but he trusted God.

He trusted God so much that he "ate" God's word. It was his nourishment. Fill yourself up on God's word. Let your roots reach deep into His word. Soak up the riches. It will carry you through drought, desertion, pain, and frustration. Being rooted in Jesus will carry you through cancer, transitions at work, relationship problems, and betrayal. Eat and drink from the life of Jesus, trust him, spread out the fibers of your roots in Him, and He will make you green and fruitful in a land that is arid, parched, and empty. Thank you Jesus for giving us nourishment!

Reflections

Wednesday, March 30 2005

Psalm 90--God is our dwelling place, our secret sins are in His presence, number my days--make sure I am striving to meet His goals each day. Don't waste time.

Mark 1--Jesus faced temptation, just like I do. Verse 35--Jesus prayed in the morning, even when He was busy. I need to do this.

Over nine years ago I wrote these simple reflections. I still have to remind myself not to waste time. I still have to remind myself to pray in the morning, especially when I am busy. As I re-read Psalm 90 I was more impressed with "the length of our days is seventy years--or eighty, if we have the strength." Most likely it is because I sense my own mortality to a much greater degree than back when I was 25. I'm not invincible, at least that thinking is wearing off.

One of my prayers that morning was asking God to "be with Jolene and me as we try to start a family." How He has been! A beautiful 8 year old daughter and strong 6 year old son. They both make me so proud. Ashtyn is so noticeably in love with Jesus. My prayer for her is that she would trust him more and not be so quick to cry and feel defeated when she does something wrong. Boy is that like me, probably all of us. Brock is my head strong, do it my way, almost first grader. He loves to read the Action Bible at night, I hope it is not just because he wants to delay going to bed! We are reading through Daniel right now and he is enthralled with his dreams and visions. "Is this real, dad?", "I didn't know that, dad!". He has so many questions, I love it.

As for being with Jolene and me--He has. There have been times we've been frustrated with life, each other, and the kids--mostly each other. But those times of frustration have been broken and shattered by our faith in Christ. He holds us together so that the times we can't hold it together, He does. I was reminded last week as I contemplated Colossians 1:17, "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Even our marriages. I am so thankful our marriage is in Jesus and not just in ourselves. Now, thankfully, those times of frustration get shattered more quickly than ever before. My prayer now is like my prayer of nine years ago, but also different,  "be with Jolene and me as our family is built to know and follow you more."

We don't know exactly how God will answer this prayer, but I do know we will know Him more nine years from now.