Leaving the harbor

Last night Beau and I attended an annual meeting for the church we are now attending. The purpose of the meeting was to go over how the past year has gone, things that were happening and their vision for the next year. 

Before I go any further, I have to say that the decision Beau & I made to transition from our last ministry to this one, has only proven to be fruitful. We have plugged right in and feel like this is surely where the Lord is calling us to be in this next season in life. With the tug on our hearts to reach lost souls for Christ, this ministry encourages just that and propels us to follow this call. 

Last night, they talked about their mission in not being a "harbor" church.. meaning we don't want to just sit in one place and have people come to us. Instead, we want to be an "open sea" church.. going out and reaching the communities around us. Jesus and even His disciples traveled everywhere spreading the good news of the gospel. They didn't stay in one spot and wait for people to come to them, they went out to the people.
Using the metaphor of being a "harbor" or "open sea" people, it had me thinking more about that.. When you're docked at the harbor, you're within safety.. you're sitting comfortably, your boat isn't going to go anywhere, you're not on the rough sea, you're in calm waters. But being in the open sea, you face all sorts of challenges. In our christian walks, if we're just sitting comfortably and not facing challenges, there's got to be some concern with that. We're not called to live comfortable lives. Nothing's going to go exactly the way we want it and we will face opposition. Living a life for Jesus is not comfortable, It's a radical thing. I want to be someone whose on the open sea, reaching the lost and not sitting comfortably in the harbor watching people pass me by who don't know Christ. 

This is Beau & my mission... to set our sails and leave the harbor into the open sea. Lord Jesus have your way in our lives!