When I left Mt. Calvary Lutheran church a few years ago it was a low point in my spiritual walk. I felt betrayed by my spiritual mentor of several years and had a deep sense that the community I was leaving was more interested in preserving the status quo rather than seeking and following a God who was so much bigger and greater than the things to which they held fast.
I felt I had experienced significant spiritual growth while I was there as well as significant setbacks. When I left, my desire to pursue God was at its lowest in quite some time. I had lost numerous relationships and felt spiritually flat. I still had my men's care group which God has always used as a foundation but the motivation to grow above and beyond that had departed.
So, without a traditional church home, and certainly no desire to quickly give my heart to another community while I was still grieving the loss of my former home, I began to have my eyes opened to some of the solid Biblical pastors of our day. My brother introduced me to John Piper and I began to see God in a new way. Through Piper's website, Desiring God, I learned of other preachers such as Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll and Tim Keller. It still amazes me that in my 30s I had never heard of any of these guys. That is an indictment on me and my search for more teaching. Perhaps it is also an indictment of a church home that taught its members that the teaching they received on Sunday morning was sufficient for the rest of the week.
Suddenly, I had an incredible assortment of Biblically-rooted, passionate teachers at my fingertips. My desire for God and the Scriptures was once again set ablaze. Sure, there have been an occasional week or two here and there over the past few years when my heart wasn't earnestly seeking God. But those weeks have been rare. I didn't know that God intended my time outside of a traditional church community to be the greatest season of spiritual growth in my life thus far. He truly does work for our good...often times when we least expect it.
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