Brothers and Sisters,
In a world of drive-thrus and Amazon Prime, we have grown rather impatient. We can, at times (especially in a replant), believe that growth should only focus on money and numbers, and it should happen quickly. We are such an impatient people that when things do not work “right away,” we tend to either think something is wrong with us individually, or the leadership is out of touch, or the people who make up the church are unwilling. Now, there might be a measure of truth in those things, but, more than likely, it is God’s grace. Slow growth is good growth. It is sustainable and humbling. Pride does not get out of hand, and self-reliance is not possible over the long haul. Much like the Palo Verde tree; it grows quickly, and we enjoy its shade, but when the first burst of wind comes…it is gone! So we can put out quick shade and have people marvel at its coolness, or we can build a strong foundation that will stand a lifetime. We want a strong foundation and the measures of that, are often different than what gets the most attention. Over the next couple of weeks, we will explore the measures of a healthy church in several separate blog post. Keep your eyes open for them and be in prayer that we would continue to become a healthy church.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan