In a Nutshell

Over the last eight months our family has been on a journey. Some of it has been good and a bunch has been a time to learn and grow. Here's the nutty journey in a nut shell… In February of 2013 I received from God a picture of "church" from a different angle. I never saw it as any better than other methods, just different and easily transferrable to any culture on Earth. My wife and I came to call this picture "Church Around the Table." The idea is simple…look at the different worlds God has put you in (home, neighborhood, workplace, school, etc…)and invest all your resources into those worlds. Since your time is already invested there, also invest your heart, intellect, spirituality, and finances into the people in those worlds. Allowing your faith and life to line up in those worlds makes you a powerful disciple of Jesus. The common entity in each of those worlds is the concept of the meal table. If not around an actual table, we consistently share life with others. When when we are trained to process our faith with those we are sharing life with, we are fulfilling the commands of Jesus to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. Shortly after receiving this picture my service as Sr. Pastor at a church ended. Seeing this as an opportunity to develop the vision, we began to make choices we believed would allow us to fulfill the vision more quickly. After six months it became clear that our path was not working out. Perhaps that was the case…or we were allowed to follow that path to discover new things about ourselves which will prepare us to better serve others. Time will tell. We now stand with hands and hearts wide open to follow Jesus wherever He may lead. The vision will continue to develop, be it here in Ohio or somewhere else. Perhaps it will happen through a traditional church that is ready and asking to do some things differently or it will happen in our lives as I sell cars. We are happy no matter what the outcome because the point is not to be successful. The point is to love God and love others as ourselves. For more infö on "Church Around the Table" go to our website, www.churcharoundthetable.com.