What life have you, if you have not life together?
There is not life that is not in community,
And no community not lived in praise of GOD.
-T.S. Eliot, Choruses from "The Rock"
"36 hours"
Staring off into the distance at the peaks jutting out before us, my hiking partner and I honored the moment that we found ourselves in, having scaled the face of the mountain below us. We tugged at our t-shirts and talked of such eternal glories as God's sovereignty and grace, as we noted how the green leaves of the trees were just beginning to turn yellow and red. We had scrapes on our arms from the ascent, and more to come on the descent; we had ideas in our minds that danced with the eternal; we had sweat on our heads that dripped with humanity; mostly, we held in our hearts the joy of the Lord.
Okay, so we weren't exactly exploring the Andes mountains in South America, but Phil and I were enjoying the gift that it was to participate in the fellowship of men during our second annual Men's retreat in Riner, Virginia. What an amazing vision we beheld over the course of this 36-hour event! It is a costly thing for men to meet together in this way, forsaking for the moment wives, businesses, jobs, children, homes in need of maintenance, and books in need of studying: costly, yes, but so important for the dynamic development of the church.
I loved being even a small part of this time with these men. The day after the retreat, I walked through the doors of our Sunday meeting hall at the Days Inn and saw, for the first time, not just the faces of people in the people in the pews and children in their chairs, but instead saw people and families that I loved. It was the first time that I recognized our church service as a renewal of God's covenant to administer grace to his people through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and not simply an obligation. Only in experiencing the true hearts and minds of men who are truly men, with troubles and hurts that penetrated deeply into their lives, was I able to get passed the notion of church for "church's sake" and see it as the means by which God was carrying out his plan for redemption in the world.
I'm honored to continue with these men, walking in God's grace, through this year as we experience renewal and redemption together in Jesus Christ, leading The River church and learning together how to love, teach, and care for families, friends, and a community in great need of Christ. We are doing many projects at present, including:
* A financial-planning program using Dave Ramsey's debt-reduction system
* Planning for an international outreach trip to Punta Gorda, Belize in January
* Maintaining Mens' groups throughout the year
* Establishing new offices, which are housed inside of a railroad car adjacent to the hotel where we meet
"Uh, sorry Ryan-- but, did you just say that the offices from which you're carrying out the eternal redemption of peoples' lives in the world through Jesus Christ are... in a railroad car?"
I didn't say that getting to this eternal redemption was going to be pretty: this update is mostly about men, after all.
Thank you for your continued support during this year. I have currently received funds/ pledges for half of my fund-raising goal of $10,000 for the year, a praise that is huge for me! Please continue praying for:
* Constant renewal in my relationship with Jesus Christ.
* My studies with Jonathan Tagg (pastor at The River) and Josh Nicoletti, my fellow intern.
* Our focus for carrying out the ministry we are doing this year at the church and in the community
* My work with freshmen at Virginia Tech Young Life
* Continued exposure to the Blacksburg community and community at-large.
* For fund-raising throughout the Fall.
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