I have been quietly affected…possibly deeply affected…by what is happening at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC over the past few years.

It’s not simply that they’ve become a highly visible mega-church that’s grabbed my attention. It’s the fact that more than 15,000 people have turned to faith in Jesus.

There are some who are critical of what’s happening at Elevation. Maybe a few of their points are valid…but it’s easy to cast judgement from the outside. The hard work is digging in, faithfully serving God and actually reaching real people in this cynical world and culture.

When just one person comes to faith in Jesus I’m moved deeply. When scores of people are responding to the love and hope of Christ…I’m completely undone.

Over the past couple weeks, Elevation Church held what they called Code Orange Revival. Twelve nights of worship and preaching and looking to God to transform hearts. I watched online almost every night. My heart was wrecked on several occasions through the messages and as I watched people declaring their faith in Jesus through baptism.

A few things that I experienced through Code Orange Revival…
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There are many words I could choose to describe the past 17 months. A few…

     Transitional
          Trying
               Challenging
                    Frustrating
                         Quiet
                              Wonderful

We moved to the desert nearly 3 years ago…by faith.

We leave the desert next month…again, by faith.

Faith that we are following God’s leading.

The beauty of this next move for our family is that we get to leave the desert…both literally and figuratively.

Seasons in the desert define your ability withstand harsh elements.
Seasons in the desert begin and end with new growth.
Seasons in the desert test you in extremes.

As we leave, I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had…the lessons I’ve learned…and I’m thankful that this season is coming to a close.

We’re moving to California. We don’t have jobs. We won’t have family close by. We’re just going…and not because it’s familiar…but because we believe it’s where God wants our family for this next season of life.

The promptings began many months ago and we have waited patiently (well…mostly) for God’s clear direction and timing to fall into place.

Now is the time!

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On this Good Friday my heart was stirred by a video from Jeremy Cowart.  Much of my faith journey has been leaning into and learning who Jesus is.  I’m convinced now, more than ever, that creation is a reflection of God’s creativity and love for us.

Scripture explains that we are created in the image of God and that Jesus is the image of the invisible God.  I love the way the artist in this video captures images of people and creation to illustrate his portrait of Christ.

Give yourself a few minutes to stop and take in this video.

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[4 of 4] I wrote a few posts several years ago before I started my blog…remember MySpace?  There are a few I felt were worth bringing over to the blog, so here you go.

[Originally posted December 25, 2007]
I took my sister to the GreyHound Bus Depot this morning.  She was leaving to see our parents for Christmas after spending time with my family.  It’s probably been a good 15 years since I’ve been in a bus station.  This hasn’t been anything intentional, it’s just that I spend more time in airports or driving myself around when I travel these days.

As we walked into the small indoor waiting room next to the railroad tracks on this clear and cold Christmas morning, I was again reminded that I do live in a very sheltered world.  There were two people in the room, and one dog.  The dog was eating something his owner was busy feeding him…and his owner quickly said “He doesn’t bite.”  I hadn’t asked, or really even thought about it yet, but I appreciated the info and said “Merry Christmas.”  A moment later this man and his dog left for somewhere…I speculated that they were probably not waiting for the bus like the other guy in the room who was siting next to his overstuffed backpack.

My sister was now on the phone trying to work out some issue with her electronic ticket.  When she hung up, she needed a ride to the closest ATM for cash to pay the driver in case her printed receipt wouldn’t get her on the bus.  My wife decided to drive her, and I would stay to watch over my sisters luggage and hold the bus in case they didn’t get back in time.

I sat down and was engaged in conversation by the other guy waiting for the bus.  His name was Talen (he even spelled it for me so I would be sure to remember it,) and he began to tell me his story.  Today he was traveling to somewhere in the northeast corner of Washington state to see his 18 year old son.  He hadn’t seen his son in 15 years.  He was on a mission to try and reconcile and bring closure to the broken relationships in his life…he quoted a scripture that had prompted him to do this.  As we talked, Talen talked about his health, his past, his mistakes, and his faith.  In obvious physical pain, he told me that he had HIV/AIDS…got it through a drug needle back in ’88 or ’89, and diagnosed in 1994.  He now lived in an Orange County AIDS Hospice.

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