Soma Schooled

Last week I (matt) had the opportunity to go to Soma School up in Tacoma, WA.

It was a great time of learning, doing, and dreaming and I want to Thank GSCC so much for making it possible for me to be there!!!

Learning...
Essentially they immersed 30 or so church planters into some killer training on how to start a missional church based primarily on small groups that live out some solid community and reach out into their neighborhoods to include others into that community. It was some solid teaching and fascinating methodology, but super challenging as to how the church should relate to the world and live on mission in it.
One of my big take aways was that, "we need to live in a way that demands a gospel answer." This really made me think how I need to be so radically shaped by the gospel that my life is so different and so other worldly that people want to know why I do what I do. That I might actually do what the Bible says and put others and their needs above my own.

Doing...
Part of Soma School was experiential as we got to got to live with people who are a part of their church community for the week. We also got to go to their home groups and see what they do. They even gave us an opportunity to serve with them as they went to a park to volunteer some time making it look prettier. Andrej, Terry, and I got to help eradicate some blackberry bushes. It was good to help restore an area of the park that hadn't been worked on in 25 years. I think God loves to make things new and restore beauty to brokenness, so we enjoyed joining in a tangible way that day.
(its hard to see but short sleeve shirts were a bad idea when fighting blackberries)














Dreaming...
I had the privilege of hanging out with Terry and Anrej, who both came from Slovenia for this training. It was amazing to talk about the things we were learning and how they could be implemented in Slovenia. Honestly, I learned so much just listening to those two talk about how to reach SLO and hearing their hearts for that country. I can't wait to serve alongside and learn from men like that.

I want to be this kind of friend.

O the comfort, the inexpressible comfort

Of feeling safe with another person

Having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words

But pouring them all out, chaff and grain together

Knowing a faithful hand will take and sift them,

Keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness

Blow the rest away.

--Diana Murlock Craik

GBCing it

This last couple weeks we have been busy going from small group to small group at Gresham Bible Church (GBC).

It all started months ago when some friends of ours, the Rau's, visited GBC and mentioned that they had some friends who are missionaries and needed a church to help send them as they go to Slovenia. Vergil, the pastor, said, "have them call me." So we did. At the end of January we met Vergil over lunch and discussed the possibility of partnering together to reach Slovenia. That meeting led to further meetings as we all dreamed about the possibilities.

Then 4 weeks ago GBC officially accepted Sharon, Eliana, and me as their missionaries. In that meeting, Vergil asked me if I could preach in two weeks. So a couple of weeks ago we got to stand up in front of the church to talk a bit about Slovenia and then I taught on Luke 9.21-27 which was the next lesson in the series. Since then we have had the privilege of going to lots of home groups to meet the people of GBC. Its been cool getting to see the life in this church plant thats 3 years old and the friendships that we are forming there.

Thanks be to God for His provision.

A couple more pics from my sister's birthday

We told Lynn we'd pick her up outside her building after work. . .

. . .but then we went in and let Eliana go find her. . .

She was pretty excited to find her Auntie Lynn!

And to give her a big hug!

We were all pretty excited to see Auntie Lynn and celebrate her day!

Love you Sis!

I'm so glad we got to celebrate together.

Dancing in the rain!