Fort Walton to Lima: Why Beachside?

March 14, 2009

I had an amazing trip to Peru! Compassion arranged a 6-hour bus ride for Mirella, my sponsored child, to come spend the day with me touring Lima. It’s crazy that it took her as long to get to Lima from a few hundred miles away as it took me to fly there from Atlanta. What a small world! Actually, it’s that idea that really resonated with me.

For most of my life I viewed the world from a strictly North American perspective (everyone knows Jesus spoke English, right?). Actually, I really did have a very small view of the world that led me to believe that most of the world lived like I did (physically and spiritually). I had heard of poverty, but I never understood that the majority of the world lives in SEVERE poverty. Not just physical poverty, but emotional, intellectual, and spiritual poverty as well.

God continues to use trips like this to show me things about myself and His Church that I’ve never really understood. Here’s what I think He has been teaching me: First, there’s nothing that I, or you, could ever do to deserve to be born here in the U.S., and there’s nothing that others have done to deserve to be born in the conditions where they are. Second, we have more opportunity than those who are living in these extreme conditions, but it’s not because we’re any smarter (I’d love to tell you stories of the amazing people I’ve met), or because of a blessing. It’s because of a trust. God has entrusted us with incredible resouces to use for His purposes. Finally, there are people all around us here in the U.S. who are also suffering from extreme poverty. Not physical poverty. Virtually all Americans have great financial wealth as compared to the rest of the world even in this weakened economy, but many people here are suffering from extreme spiritual poverty.

Any time we are entrusted with something we are required to respond, and since this trust has been given by Jesus Christ to His Church, it is the Church that should be called to action. This is why a new church is needed here along the coast. It would be a waste of our time and resources to just create another church for church people to attend on Sundays, but we do need the Body of Christ to work together to help people experience God’s love in relevant ways. Our desire for Beachside Community Church is to create irresistible environments where life change can occur. Whether it’s serving in developing countries or investing in those we see every day, we desire to use new, relevant strategies to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked”. Luke 12:48

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