The Nature of Faith.

I don't really consider myself to be a person of amazing, incredible faith. But, make no mistake, I believe that lately, in my life, I am becoming a lot better at being a person of faith.

In Mark 5:25-34, there's this story about a woman who has been hemmoraging blood for twelve years. She's spent everything she had and owned on doctors to try and help her to get better, but nothing worked. In fact, she just got worse, and the Bible tells us that she was greatly suffering. But one day, as Jesus was pressing through the crowds, this woman thought to herself that if she could just touch Jesus' garment, that she would be healed. Sure enough, she manages to get close to Jesus in the crowd, touches the edge of his garment, and is made well.

What I find interesting, though, is Jesus' statement to her: "Daughter, your faith has made you well."

If I put myself in this woman's shoes, there are a lot of feelings that could possibly go through my head:

• This is absolutely going to work!
• Well, I've tried everything else... what the heck?
• Maybe this will be the solution I've been looking for.
• I hope this works.
• I think this will work.

Not all of those statements are ones that I would naturally label as ones of great faith. Yet, I imagine that a degree of all of those had to cross this woman's mind at some point. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the first statement (which is what I normally think of as "faith") isn't what she thought at all. It was most likely a combo of hoping, wishing, and praying that this whole Jesus thing would actually work for her.

As I continue on this journey, I'm discovering that faith isn't always something that's beautifully certain, sure, and confident. In fact, I believe that a lot of faith is simply taking the next step and hoping, praying, and believing that things will work out. Faith is frequently best described by adjectives like "messy." I mean, it has to be. That's why the Bible still lets doubting people like me still be able to wear the title "Christ follower" (see Matthew 28:17, Jude 1:22).

I can think of countless examples in my own life. When I was baptized, I still had questions. I wasn't sure if I could do this whole Jesus thing. But you know what? I took the leap. A few years later, I went through a real season of doubt in my faith, but I kept taking the next steps and came out the other side. Even today, with being a part of our Highland Campus, I still have doubts: Can I really do this? What if money doesn't come together? What if I'm a flop as a worship pastor? What if I can't finish school in a timely fashion? What if our church doesn't really fit into the community? What if I don't fit in the community? What if we don't reach people and this campus just doesn't work out? I've got a lot of questions, but I have faith. Why? Because despite mixed emotions at times, I'm still following God and trusting in His plan for me. I believe God will make all things work together (Romans 8:28).

Belief and doubt are not polar opposites. In fact, they often mix together throughout our lives, just like in Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares. The important ingredient of faith is simply that we take the leap, regardless of our thoughts or emotions. It's way better (and more Biblical) than to take the leap with mixed emotions than have good feelings but always stay standing on the edge.

ICNU.

I got the chance to be a part of Suncrest's community group leaders' training on Saturday, and walked away with some awesome insights (courtesy of our Hobart Campus Pastor, Doug Gamble) about encouragement and encouraging those I get a chance to lead.

Our talk revolved around the simple concept of encouraging people through ICNU (think about it... "I see in you"). When we make the intentional effort to pull people aside and tell them what we see in them (their giftings, passions, where they are growing), it can be one of the most encouraging things that people will ever experience. I got to experience it first-hand when, much to my surprise, Doug chose to speak some encouragement into my life in front of our leaders.

While some are more gifted in this area than others, I think that encouragement is a key function of anyone who is a part of the body of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:18), so I thought it'd be good to share some of the insights that Doug shared on here today with you.

1. Be intentional. Great encouragement rarely happens unless you are intentional about it. This might mean scheduling some time alone with whoever it is you are seeking to encourage. Maybe it's setting a time to grab coffee or dinner together. Maybe it's a car ride alone together on the way to gather with friends. In Luke 9:10, the Bible tells us that Jesus withdrew with His disciples, no doubt in an effort to be intentional as He sought to encourage them. Great encouragement doesn't usually just happen. You have to be intentional about it.


2. Take time. This kind of links back to #1, but you need to take some time to really encourage people. Five seconds isn't enough. To really encourage and pour into someone's life takes time. If you really want to share what you see in someone, you need to make time to have that conversation.


3. Open your eyes. Be aware of the opportunities for encouragement around you, no matter how big or small. If you know someone who's done something great, or maybe get a sense that someone could use some love, that's a great time for encouragement. The key? You've gotta look for those opportunities.


4. Be courageous. Finally, you've got to be a little courageous. I can only speak for myself, but giving people real encouragement makes me feel really awkward. I know those conversations need to happen, but they feel kind of weird (maybe it's just because I'm a guy). But you need to be a little courageous. Don't hold back. Share what's on your heart! You'll be amazed at the response.

Reflections on a Sunday I Will Never Forget.

I still don't feel like my words can come close to describing the incredible thing that I saw happen at Suncrest Christian Church on Sunday, but I will try to explain...

73 baptisms at the Saint John campus. 7 at the Hobart campus.

80 baptisms total.

That amazes me. I wish I could say that leading up to this Sunday, when we would be asking people to respond on the spot (in their street clothes!) to the message of "repent, believe, and be baptized" (Acts 2:38) that I really believed a whole lot of people would do that. But the fact is, that I was expecting three baptisms; the three that had said "yes" before Sunday morning.

I believe Jesus would throw me into the category of "oh you of little faith."

I saw God do a lot on Sunday. Life change was happening, and it was amazing. I was standing literally five feet away from the baptistry, and I got to watch person after person go under the water and emerge changed, marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit. It was amazing, joyous, and heart warming. I didn't even know half the people, and yet still I was moved to tears at each of our three services.

Did I mention it was amazing?

And it also made me realize that I treat God like a two year old. Here I had set this incredibly low goal, with practically zero expectation. God is like the Picasso of spiritual transformation, and here I am setting the same expectations before him as I would a four year old finger painter.

Instead of treating God like a two year old, I should have realized that God is the God of impossible. He is the God of more than we can ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21). Instead of babying God along, maybe I need to learn to ask and pray for the impossible, and then actually believe it can happen.

Did I mention that Sunday was amazing? Because if I didn't, please know it was. In fact, it's a Sunday that I will never, ever forget.

Hoping In All the Wrong Things.

"Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

-1 Peter 1:13b, esv

What do you hope in?

Seriously, what do you put your hope in?

I feel like that's a question that I've ignored for far too long in my life. What do I put my hope in? As a Christ follower, I know that's supposed to be Jesus. But what does that mean, what does that look like? For a long time, hope has been one of those Christian-ey words that I kind of throw around without really thinking about what it actually means. But recently I read 1 Peter 1:13, and I was struck by the challenge and the outright command that Peter gave to the believers he was writing to.

So what does it mean to put my hope fully in Christ? I think that it essentially means that what I put my hope in is what I turn to, what I draw strength from, what I know will be sure even in times of crisis.

That should be Jesus. But if I can be real for a minute about my life, I know it's not. I put a lot of hope in myself to guide my course and make my own destiny. For me, the reason's simple; I don't have to live by faith if I put hope in myself. Putting hope in myself seems safe. But the obvious downside (other than not being biblical) is that I'm not worthy of hope. I can't draw strength from myself. I won't be sure-footed when the sinking sands of crisis strike.

About a month ago, I read Psalm 18, and I was struck by the simple fact that the psalmist keeps attributing all this strength imagery to God. He is a stronghold. A fortress. A refuge. Even though I can't see Him, I need to place my hope and trust in the Lord because the Bible tells us He is the only sure thing that there is.

And it is in Him alone that I need to place my hope.

My Next Adventure...

So, I have some very exciting news to finally officially announce.

If you weren't aware, I am currently serving as an intern with Suncrest Christian Church in northwest Indiana, near Chicago. Our church has a strong belief in the effectiveness of church planting and multi-site ministry, and so in addition to our Hobart Campus that launched in 2008, we will be launching two new campuses in Highland and South Bend in fall 2010. I am excited to announce that beginning this summer, I will transition onto our full-time staff at Suncrest as worship pastor for our Highland Campus, which will launch at the end of September.

I can't begin to express how excited I am about this opportunity! I love Suncrest a lot and really believe that our church is being used by God in order to change lives. I am thankful to get to be a part of that. I'm going to get the opportunity to work with a great staff and leadership team, as well as have the opportunity to finally set down some roots in a community and get to start living out my life-long passion, which is to help people come to find a deeper relationship with Jesus. It's just incredible to me that while I've only been here roughly six months, it already feels just like home.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about a few things, though. As part of essentially being a new church plant, I will need to raise half of my salary each year through 2012 so that we can better resource this campus as we strive to get it off the ground (p.s. If you are at all interested in helping to support me, I'd love to talk to you! Comment this, tweet me at @wblackburn0316, message me... whatever). I also have 24 or so credits left to complete with Cincinnati Christian University in order to graduate. The fact of finishing long-distance makes me a little nervous, but I'm confident. There are always reasons not to do something, and it's always nerve-wracking starting something new in life, but I really believe that this is where God wants me to be, and I am confident that He will faithfully resource me with the finances, strength, energy, and wisdom that I need in this new adventure.


I love you all, and definitely appreciate your prayers as I take this next step in my journey! More to come, I'm sure... :)