Picnic!

Today was an absolutely awesome day! Though it was certainly chilly when we arrived at Crockett Park, it warmed up nicely by the time our worship began. And the Lord couldn't have blessed us with a more beautiful day by the time we were munching hamburgers and playing volleyball.

Everywhere I looked this morning, there were small blessings unfolding. Our setup team arrived early and showed us all what true servants look like. Hauling equipment down the hill to the amphitheater, moving picnic supplies to the pavillion, running cables, setting up instruments, and then cleaning up the site so everything looked nice... it was terrific. And they got the job done so quickly! Our Worship Team had plenty of time to check sound and run through music.

Speaking of the Worship Team, they did a great job. These young musicians are also true servants, and most people don't realize the time and commitment it takes for them at rehearsal, at setup, and in their own personal preparations. It was fun to see Jeff crank up the volume this morning (hey, no back wall to bounce sound from the monitors). It was even more fun to look around and see people singing, with the sound of our worship rising right to the sky.

I really enjoyed watching people greet each other this morning. Everywhere I looked, I saw people having fun, exchanging hugs, laughing, welcoming, and chatting. Hope is such a warm and loving group of folks, and I'm finding that the more people invest themselves, the more blessings they experience in those relationships.

I personally had a great time sharing from John 13:34-35 and 1 John 4:7-19 this morning. God has given us an incredible challenge of loving each other in a self-sacrificing way, and he has promised that he is revealed to the world in our sense of true community. I'm convinced that this is a central part of our mission as a church family.

It was interesting to see how many people in our church identify themselves as part of the "mosaic" generation -- nearly a third of our church! For some reason, God has made Hope a very young congregation, with zillions of kids and youth. There can really be no doubt that we have a very specific purpose in our town, and it's going to involve discovering how to be an authentic community of grace in a new way to a new generation.

After the worship service, we went up the hill for lunch. Wow! What a spread! There were the folks working hard over the hot grills to dish up the hamburgers and hotdogs (another example of servants at work), followed by this long table filled with food. And that's not counting the dessert tables on the other side of the pavillion! Lunch was amazing.

Then, in the warm afternoon, all around us there were people just soaking in the sunshine and chatting with friends while others tossed a frizbee, played volleyball, climbed on the playground, chucked a few water balloons, rented a boat, and more. Margo and I had a chance to swing around to many of the clusters of people, and it warmed my heart to see all the smiles and hear all the laughter.

Hope Christian Fellowship is becoming more and more sweet with each passing milestone in our journey. It's been a long time in this transitional "wilderness" stage of life together, but people are really growing and the love is increasing. I know there are huge challenges ahead of us, along with wonderful opportunities of showing God's grace to our community. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for this great family!

(Oh, yeah, one more thing: When we got home, I pulled out the hammock and quickly fell into a deep sleep... swinging gently in the shade of the woods out back, breathing the fresh air, and truly being refreshed. Thanks, God!)