This moment, right here, was probably the beginning of my ministry. My aunt had cancer, and I wanted to do what I could to raise money for the 2001 Relay for Life. I was shocked when my pastor said yes to hosting a benefit concert.
It was the moment my church let a bunch of rowdy, suspect and misunderstood teenagers have a mosh pit in the youth room.
It was the day I was taught that people matter more than church buildings.
It was the time I came to understand that giving a safe space for people to process their feelings is better than convincing them they're wrong.
I remember being nervous…but my church opened the doors and took a risk. It went down in history as the day I invited 100 friends to church, AND THEY CAME.
What kind of church do we want to be?
That was 20 years ago, and I still don’t have this faith thing figured out. The older I get, the less answers I have. But one thing I do know is that a simple invitation can save someone’s life.
I recently re-watched Sara’s story, and it had me in tears:
