Absence

So, I noticed that it has been quite a while since I have posted any thoughts on our blog. I don't know exactly why that is. During my absence from the blog, much has happened here in Eugene. Staci and I have moved to a new apartment, adopting Drew as our roommate (or maybe he adopted us), I have made a few job transitions, and new friendships have been established. We just got back not too long ago from spending some time with family in Indiana, and now are back into our daily routines. Amidst all of this, I think often about our Church here, okay, I think about it most all the time, and I am in awe of the fact that God has trusted us to be in this place during this season. My thoughts continually go the first century Churches that Paul, Peter, John, and others wrote about in the New Testament. You see, these Churches were planted in places that had little background on who God was (or is), who the person of Jesus was, and had many competing spiritual paths. I think a lot about Paul and how he spent much time getting to know the culture of many of these places, and through that, connected with them. He was fully present in those locations. In fact, he spent years in Ephesus making tents and meeting with people. He was not absent, not some preacher who locked himself in an office inside a church building writing sermons. He molded his messages to the culture of the community and presented the Gospel in all its truth. Jesus did the same thing. He met people where they were at, loved them, healed them, and taught them the truths of God. He was fully present. And now, by His grace, we are inhabited by the Holy Spirit who is fully present with us as we journey through this earthly life. When I think about these things, I realize that absence was not an option for God. He desired to be present in the lives of His people. He is continually present in His Creation now, and He desires for people to know this. As Paul understood, to communicate this to communities of people who had little background or misconceptions of God, you must be present with them, build relationships, and love them. I love Eugene. I love the people here and have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Eugene so far. As Staci and I were walking this morning, I realized that we live in a beautiful place, and that God desires us to be fully present here. He is never absent from our lives and I desire to live in a way that avoids being absent from the people of Eugene.