Have we lost our imagination?  Have we become so polluted by our religion that the Jesus of our Bible no longer makes any sense to us?  Have we become so indoctrinated by what we think it means to be a Christian, that the Christ of the Christian is unintelligible?

It was two years ago, right around this time of year, that God messed me up forever.  You see, I had long been a critic of the church.  I had stood back and demeaned her.  I had pointed out her every flaw (or rather every flaw of her leaders).  I had believed that she was hopelessly lost and needed a band of people who really got it to ride in and come to her rescue.  That’s why I had joined a para-church ministry.  I was going to labor to do what the local church had long been unable to do for herself.  I was going to labor to show her how to tell people about Jesus.  And I was doing precisely that…and it was going fairly well.  I was smug.  I was arrogant.  I was making good money telling churches that what they really needed to do was listen to me and the organization that I worked for and the people would come flooding in the doors.

But two years ago I was arriving at the end of a long, painful journey that brought me to a place where after being a Christian for 10 years, I had a whole lot fewer answers to the problems that plagued the church and a lot more questions.  And then, in the strangest of ways, God was about to move in ways that I never could have predicted, nor would have ever chosen myself.  God was about to mess me up.

It was in the aftermath of my mother’s death and in the tumultuous time of awakening to Jesus’ love for His church that God planted a vision for a church plant deep within my soul two years ago on a long drive home from South Carolina to Jefferson City, MO.  And since that implantation, it has been a long, winding journey to what happened this past Sunday.  A baby, conceived almost 24 months ago, was born.  And there to witness her birth were almost 70 people. People from vastly different backgrounds.  People from vastly different economic status.  People from vastly different political convictions.  People from vastly different religious perspectives.  People from different ethnic backgrounds.  People from vastly different vocations.  It was a wonderful picture to behold.

A baby named Eternity.  Young.  Fragile.  Full of life.  Full of uncertainty.  Struggling to move.  But breathing.  By the power of God, breathing!

And as I write this update to the hundreds of people who have either followed this journey with interest or who have been unfortunate enough to cross paths with me and get added to the email list, I can not help but be filled with hope for this little baby.  I also, cannot help but be concerned with that she will desire to be.

Will we settle for religion?  Will we settle for broken cisterns?  Will we settle for nothing more than polished mediocrity?

Or will we see the Jesus of the Gospels?  Will we feel the passion of Paul?  Will we love with the heart of John?  Will we speak with the prophetic voice of Isaiah?  Will we sing with the voice of David?  Will we go boldly to the poor and the hurting and the oppressed with the reckless abandon of Peter?  Will we lay down our lives like the martyrs before us?  Will we yearn with those who cry “Maranatha”?

Who will we be?  And what will it look like?  These are the concerns for this new baby called Eternity.  And like any baby, we need the care and concern of people around us!  We need you to pray…we need you to give…we need you to come…we need you to join…we need you to dream…

We are breathing…and we came out of the womb kicking and screaming (if you had heard the band that led us in worship Sunday you’d know what I mean)…but we have been born..and as Peter said…”not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and abiding Word of God”…

God began a good work a long time ago…and Eternity is proud to join in that work…we know we are not the first…nor will we be the last…but we pray that we do our part well…

We are humble and grateful to God for being able to bring you this birth announcement.  We know we are biased, but she’s the most beautiful baby in the world!