In following my wife’s lead with her theme about “by doing less, we saw God do more!” (Read her POST HERE) This is a lesson we have learned in our church community as well. Two years ago after a tough season in our church, we in many ways were replanting a church and we looked at the situation and realized we couldn’t pull of “normal” Sunday gatherings every week, that is with music, preaching and what you would expect on a “normal” Sunday. We were also tired but we had a shared value of sharing our table and gathering around the table (or “kolem stolu” in Czech), as Jesus modeled.
So in somewhat of a pragmatic decision we decided to have “kolem stolu” Sundays where we would gather around the table, share our lives, stories, thoughts and prayers. Some of us in leadership, included me, were reluctant in “doing less,” but we had a shared value and just couldn’t continue putting on shows for the sake of putting on shows each Sunday.
What did God do in this midst of this? We saw DEPTH in relationship and our walks with Jesus in ways that we hadn’t experienced in years, I began to learn the stories of those that I had attended for years as we shared our stories and lives. Some started to invite their friends to the table to engage in conversation. We saw God do more amongst us when we were honest with the situation and also decided to live out a shared value. It was beautiful and one of the decisions that I love to brag on us and God about.
Of course, not everyone enjoyed it, and others gritted their teeth to get through it, but we could not produce the growth in depth of relationship, community and even in looking outside ourselves to invite our friends to our table. We saw God move and surprise us again! When we were tired, exhausted, didn’t have a clue what to do and admitted this to God, he showed up and brought beauty from what was our perceived weakness. Now the challenge is to continue to pursue him in this brokenness and honesty. CLICK HERE to check out the rest of our #SurpriseUsIn6 posts and learn about us, #teamHARROD.
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