Every year I say the same thing, “This year went by really fast!” I have this theory that time moves faster in the tails of your life: as a parent, aunty or uncle, or grandparent, you marvel at how fast the children in your life grow and when you’re in a mature stage of life as I’ve personally witnessed caring for kupuna, you experience how quickly the kupuna in your life age. As someone in the middle life stage I have a vantage point of seeing time travel fast on both ends. I suppose it’s another one of those human characteristics we cannot avoid. Whatever stage of life you’re in, the rapid movement of Time is why it’s important to stop and reflect and also pay attention to God’s leading. This is exactly what we did together last Sunday.
Last year, God’s goodness was reflected in so many things, from our 20th Anniversary & Commissioning Service in January, to collaboration with several churches, to many rich message series, including Practicing the Way, that has really been life-changing for me, and the Story Telling & Interviews that’s become a unique trait for us as a church,. We had 40 people tell their stories in 2024 and it provided a vehicle for us to connect with empathy and the Spirit to move on a level that was filled with encouragement and resolve.
In 2025, God continues to lead us to Share the Lawnmower, Raise the Next Generation, and Teach Us to Love through His Word, Spirit, and Practices.
I’m excited to share that the central theme of our church has been and continues to be, “Spiritual Formation.” It’s about who you are becoming in following Jesus. It’s a continuous journey in pursuit of the Good Life by following Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit that includes defining self, surrendering fully, and following daily. Matthew 16: 24-26. It is in this stage of our journey that we are rebranding ourselves to: formation church.
This graphic illustrates our grounding in the Word, Spirit, and Practices that shape what Pastor Cal called our “Worldview” to gain a more complete understanding of what it means to follow Jesus, what Pastor Shea called the “Power” of people who are unafraid to engage in the spiritual realm to experience their authority in Christ, and what Pastor Dean called “Practice” of the supernatural as something we naturally are. I want to be clear that this model should be something that we hold lightly, continually seeking the LORD for His wisdom and guidance. No model should ever be our god. Rather, I share this with you now to clarify what I mean by Spiritual Formation. In that intersection yields The Good Life as defined by Jesus and what we’ll begin to unpack starting this Sunday in what’s known as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
Last Sunday I also shared the vision of our physical location redesigned into something that I’m calling “The Creator’s Space.” It’s a place for us to share, raise, and teach; reclaim business, art & culture; engage physically and digitally; and cultivate relationships. More to come.