I Need To Brag
Do you ever have days where you sit back in awe of the people who are in your life? I do. Often. And today is one of those days. And so, I need to brag a little.
I love Bikers’ Church. Not so much the idea of what Bikers’ Church is about, although I do think it’s pretty cool. A missional church reaching out to the motorcycle community in a conservative city like Ottawa is … well … cool. I love that God has called me to such a mission. Who would have thought that pastoring could be so much fun? I really am blessed to pastor a very interesting church.
But when I say I love Bikers’ Church, I’m really talking about the people who make up this church. They are an amazing group of individuals. If you were to look at them as a group, you would be amazed that they actually connect at any level. After all, we have everything from Scooter Trash to professionals. We have people from every background you can imagine. And yet, they come together under one purpose: to discover God’s love and to live a life as a follower of Christ. Amazing. They sit together, laughing together, believing together, encouraging one another. It truly is amazing.
I am also humbled by how much they trust leadership. Not in a blindly-follow-the-leader type of way. Far too often they hear me discourage that kind of following. People who follow blindly are foolish. It’s good to ask questions. It’s good to dialogue. It’s good to discover for one’s self.
Rather, they trust leadership to lead. And they love leadership when we fail. Instead of attacking when those in leadership make a wrong decsion, they encourage. As the lead pastor, I can’t begin to explain just how refreshing that is. To know that I have the freedom to try things, to dream big dreams, knowing that I have a group of people who stand with me, encourage me, believe in me. Again, amazing.
Recently I made an annoucement about the future of Bikers’ Church prematurely. I should have waited until all the “i’s were dotted” before saying anything, but I didn’t. In my excitement, I rushed ahead of the process. In the end, our leadership team decided that it was not the right decision for Bikers’ Church. If we went in this certain direction, we would lose a bit of our identity. It was right for us to step back from this decision.
When I stood before our people on Thursday evening to tell them that we would not be going in the direction I had announced a few weeks earlier, I was nervous. After all, the people were very excited because I had really pumped them up. I had been very excited! I pulled out all the stops when I made the initial announcement. And now, here I was, standing before them, apologizing that I had stepped out too quickly. That I had made a mistake. That it wasn’t the right direction after all.
And how did the people respond? Unbelievable support. Not one criticism. Not one complaint. Were some disappointed? Clearly. But that disappointment didn’t turn into personal attacks or criticsim. Instead, everyone took a deep breath, nodded their heads, and refocused on the mission at hand. What other word can I use to describe it but … amazing.
So, yes. I serve the most amazing people in the world. I really do love them.
And God, if you’re reading this blog, thank you for the blessing you’ve given me.