Funny the thoughts you think on a plane.

It had been a great day yesterday. The weather was warm and sunny and the work our team did in San Jose was very well-received. It felt good to have been given the opportunity to begin to assist one of the largest companies in the world in this particular industry, and to do so with excellence. I am so enthused about moving forward for the benefit of those we met yesterday. Plain and simple, it just doesn't get any better than that with regard to my business. 

Reveling in all of this got me thinking about more important matters. Somewhere around 35,000', it struck me that like our team, there was One long ago who traveled a great distance to offer help.

He was like us, but not just like us.

He was like us in the traveling, but unlike us in that

• he was shunned, while we were welcomed;
• his trip cost him greatly - it cost him his life - while our trip "cost us" a single day (and offered us new business);
• his goal was to change our lives and the world, while ours was to help improve one key initiative in one company.

Pretty substantial and humbling differences. The work we do is important and makes a difference, but it is nothing compared to the work of Jesus. 

Funny the thoughts you think on a plane.

Suddenly my reveling moved from what had been done yesterday in San Jose to the mission (not work) I share with the people of Columbia Ridge. Together we share in the call to reflect Christ in our world, even when it costs us greatly and even when it hurts, so that the lives of those around us - and indeed our community and our world - might be changed, redeemed. It just doesn't get any better than that!

This Friday evening (November 18th) from 6:30-8:00pm at our offices I'll be sharing as clearly as I know how the steps we need to take to move forward in this great mission and why I believe we need to do such things. Please attend if you can and if not, please pray for the success of this gathering.

The question that I'm responding to this morning came in to me in two different forms: "How do we keep our outward focus during the period of raising money, paying down land, and building infrastructure on the property?" and "I'm worried about our vision getting lost during building programs." 

I'm glad that these questions came in because they represent the fact that people really care about who we are as a church. As most of the readers of this blog know, our mission as a church isn't to build buildings. Nor is our mission as a church to have successful capital project drives. Rather, our mission as a church is to reflect Jesus in our world through serving God, our community, and one another. That is our mission and it comes from the mandate we have received as a congregation to be salt and light in our world (Matthew 5:13-16). In being salt and light we are called to be the evidence of God's desire to season the world with grace through our practical service (i.e., our good deeds) and through the proclamation of his commitment to redeem the world through Christ (i.e., salt was utilized in biblical history as part of a covenant ceremony). 

So how can we keep focus on this while working together toward building a facility?

We must remember that our goal in The Infrastructure Project isn't to raise funds to build a facility for ourselves, it is to raise funds to build what matters from the ground up in Mhlosheni, Swaziland and in Troutdale, Oregon. Our mission to serve our community - be it here, there, or elsewhere - is being accomplished through, not in spite of this project. As we give faithfully, we will see our mission come to life! As we fund the project, people in Mhlosheni will discover God's grace at work through the very practical means of wells and spigots that bring clean water to the surface of the earth. The beautiful thing in this is that those who first thank God for this project will be those in the most need, those in Mhlosheni. This brings Jesus’ teaching to life: we shine His light in the world through our good deeds and those who see it will give thanks to God!

But the mission doesn't stop there. Through this project, we will see infrastructure brought to Harlow Place Road that will eventually support the construction of a building that is not “for us,” but for the people in our local community. The building that will find its home on Harlow Place Road in Troutdale must always be a building a of hope, of service, of proclamation for the hurting and lost in our area and not a place of comfort and ease for us. We build to serve our community, not only now but across the generations to come.

The bottom line is that we are called to serve our community and as long as I am pastor I won't let us forget this, for in serving we reflect the one who saved us to a world that desperately needs him! The Infrastructure Project is designed to help us do this, both in our local and global community.

[caption id="attachment_172" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Chelsea Reardon (left) and Chris Spanjer (right) serving meals in Mhlosheni"] [/caption] Just a quick post so you can save the date. Our 2009 Mhlosheni "Go Team" has returned from Africa and will be sharing their experiences with the church on July 12th, 10:30am (here). You won't want to miss the message they'll bring to us about God and his work in Mhlosheni, Swaziland. I really respect the eight individuals who gave of their time and financial resources to go share hope and friendship with the people of Swaziland. Not only that, I respect their families for making the sacrifice of having them so far away for a period of time. And it goes without saying that none of this would have happened without those who supported our team financially and through prayer. So thanks one and all. Can't wait to have the team over to our house this Friday. Should be a lot of fun to hear the stories shared as we look through the pictures they've all taken. Hope I BBQ well for them!