As I spent more time involved in this church, a community
which I had both actively and unconsciously avoided, I slowly began to see
little bits of brilliance unfurl.
The first was my own transformation… well, perhaps that is a
strong word, but definitely a change. I
had decided to own up to change, to step forward & activate this part of my
life. This can be seen in the letter of intent. I became involved in
investing back to others who were also new and volunteering for leadership
opportunities. Before I knew it, I had
basically become one of those who I had previously scoffed at.
The second and most dramatic change was the friendships that
were forged; one in particular was with a pretty girl from Louisiana who would
eventually become my wife. That is a whole
other story :)
But perhaps the most prolific impact the church experience
has had on my faith did not directly have anything to do with me at all. Since being involved in a church became
important to me, I began to notice all of the amazing things happening amongst
my peers. Many of my examples are
related to North Atlanta, but several also refer to others in other churches
with other names and other Christian denominations.
Such as…
So many people my age deciding to give up the American life
and move somewhere else. Happily, there
are so many I won’t be able to remember them all. A friend of mine (name excluded due to
censorship concerns) is relocating his new family to the China / N. Korea
border. Katie J moved to Bolivia to be a
teacher. Chris & Sarah and their
daughter live in Kenya and help run an orphanage & minister to the kids
there.
Jana moved to Beijing and it’s her daily objective simply to
strike up conversations with the numerous locals about faith. Apparently so many people there yearn for
answers, but there are so few resources to show them the way. Jana is now one of them.
Keller’s aunt & uncle Mark & Jamie Klee moved to
Swaziland in Africa with their 3 kids.
Sold the nice house in Alpharetta and said adios. Now, they run a cabinet shop, assist on a
commercial farm, run a home for abandoned or orphaned babies, and are working
on launching a local-made jewelry business.
Apparently they are about to run into a labor shortage from the local
community and will be searching for additional help, in a country with one of
the world’s highest unemployment rates.
This isn’t one of those guilty “sell all and move to Africa”
type of missives (no offense Klees.) For
every crazy international story I’ve heard, I could tell a local one. Live your life wherever you want, as long as
it’s dedicated to God.
I was touched during my years in Atlanta how many
incredible people I met. At one time or another I interacted
personally with all of these people in Atlanta, whether it was at church, small
group, a meal, or even playing kickball. But Christians
(and those listed above) will attribute all of the life changing stories to
God. All of the amazing accomplishments and lives touched by these people represent God interacting with our lives. This is what Christians believe... this is one way to show love... this is one way show God.
Whats the point of all of this writing. The point is, I had gone from one extreme to
the other. A skeptic to a believer.
Church wasn’t for me. actually… I belong here.
I’m not like them. actually… I’m the same.
I’m too sophisticated/smart/cool. actually… So are they. Maybe even smarter.
I can go my own way and be fine. actually… I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to be a part of a community because
they are the ones actually going somewhere.
That’s my story. We will miss Atlanta, but this city provided us with the push we needed - and the examples to follow. Thank you.
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