Fiery Fall Flora
I'm Hallie's husband, my boys' daddy, and the church planter for Christ Covenant in Culpeper, VA. I'm a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America and a member of the Acts 29 Network.
First time I've ever seen a police motorcycle rally. This is part of the celebration of Culpeper's 250th birthday.
Culpeper has a great youth soccer program. Joseph and Will had the first games this morning.
For a long time our group has gathered in the Public Library for our Sunday Bible studies and worship. But through God's church-growing-grace we've had to move out of the library and into a private school gymnasium. Tonight was our first night in our new digs. Here are some highlights.
Things I'm excited about for this Saturday.
I was reading a book on the history of churches in Culpeper. In turns out that the very first settlers in what is now Culpeper county were German Calvinists. There were some 12 families that arrived in 1714. Here is an eyewitness description from John Fontaine—Huguenot diariest—of their "church building" and services.
"This place that is paled in is a pentagon, very regularly laid out, and in the very centre there is a blockhouse made with five sides which answers to the five sides of pales or great enclosure. There is loop holes through it, from which you may see all the inside of the enclosure. This is intended for a retreat for the people in case they were not able to defend the palisades if attacked by Indians. They make use of this Blockhouse for divine service. They go to prayers constantly once a day and have two sermons on Sunday. We went to hear them perform their service, which was done in their own language which we did not understand, but they seem to be very devout and sing Psalms very well." (quoted in Early Church of Culpeper County, Virginia; 3.)
I'm continuing to tour the various historical landmarks in Culpeper. Many times a town's history can tell you more about it's present than it's past. Here are some pictures from the National Cemetery.
Whenever I visit a cemetery I hear whispered deep in my heart those words of the Apostle's Creed, "I believe... in the resurrection of the dead." What a lively place this place will be when Jesus comes back for his own.
Here are some pictures that I snapped on and around Main St.
We made it to Culpeper—not without a few unexpected opportunities for creative problem solving. But we are here.
We had a great core group meeting this afternoon with a few new faces. I love my core group. As a church planter I couldn't ask for more— except a guitarist. But we'll work on finding him. For now my time on the internet is sparse. The movers get here tomorrow with our stuff. But very soon I'll have lots of Internet announcements including the launch of our website. Soon and very soon …
I hate moving. The planning racks my brain. The actual moving is never as expected. Then there is the arrival and trying to get settled in a new place. But more than any of it I hate the lack of a sense of belonging.
When I moved to Jackson, MS from Charlotte, NC I vividly remember a conversation I had with Derek Thomas. We were walking to the sanctuary to lead worship. I commented on my intense hatred of moving to which Derek responded, "There is biblical justification for that." He went on to talk about the first chapter of Job. In it God asks Satan from where he had come. Satan's response was, "to and fro on the earth, and walking up and down on it."
The point was that Satan didn't have a place to belong. Satan's rebellion against God resulted in waywardness—immutable isolation from the favorable presence of God. Of course Adam in the garden didn't fare any better. He rebelled and imparted waywardness to all his progeny—including me.
We are all wanderers by nature. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about the one person who belonged in the Father's presence—the Son—coming to bear waywardness so that wanderers can finally find belonging in God's favored presence. For the Christian he experiences this belonging now in part and will know it in full when this life is done.
What does this have to do with moving? Everytime I move it reminds me that I'm not there yet. Not just in Culpeper but to the fullness of belonging which God promises in the gospel. Moving reminds me of residual brokeness.
So whether longing for heaven or for our arrival in Culpeper on Saturday my only hope is in the promises of Christ. Jesus has died and risen to give me belonging that extends beyond moving vans and a broken world. Praise be to the God of the wayward.
