What are you doing here?

Well hello!

Welcome to my blog.

It’s about me, of course. Jonathan’s my name.

But mostly it’s about my passion and calling – which is to love and lead the local church.

What has your experience been so far with churches? Maybe you’ve never been to one; maybe you’ve sworn you’ll never step foot in one again. Maybe you show up from time to time, or maybe you absolutely love where you’re at.

I’ve had a range of experiences too, and I can tell you that I love being a part of a community who loves Jesus and does whatever he calls us to do, going wherever He needs us to go.

Before I go any further, maybe I should share a little more about me.  What am I doing here? I’m a guy who just broke the thirties threshold. I am stoked to be in the prime of life! I’m still amazed my wife agreed to go out with me ten years ago, and even more floored when she accepted my proposal. We love to travel (occasionally), make delicious food, and spend time with our 3 year old son and 6 month old daughter. I play a mean acoustic guitar, play ultimate frisbee, and read a great book with even better coffee. I have lost 60 pounds since December ’14 ’13 and that fact just reflects a new excitement I have for attacking life and living it to the fullest. Virginia will always be my home, but we picked up and left two years ago to Hot and Humid Houston, where we’ve soaked in the heat and the warm Southern culture. I’m finishing up seminary in a few months and hope to start a new church in the near future. And so that’s what this is about.

And I was challenged by the very motivating Alex Beadon to try out this blogging thing!

So what are you doing here? Who would want to read my blog?

Well, Christians definitely would. Especially those who have never quite been content in their faith community, for those who always want to go deeper but never seem to find the time to in this crazy fast-paced world.

But the folks who might feel most welcome are those who had an experience with church and said “No thanks” because it was full of fake smiles, slick services, and shallow relationships.  Why? Because I want to be a part of a church, a movement, a tight-knit community, that really knows each other, laughs but also cries together, and doesn’t build facades in our relationships or in how we practice our faith.

I’m all for keeping it simple. It may sound cliche, but I think we have enough church buildings – we need more followers of Christ banding together to live out every word of the Bible. Because that’s the church right? The people, not the building. So instead of hundreds or thousands of souls driving across town to a building we have spent millions on, leaving hundreds or thousands of homes empty and quiet, how about we gather in smaller groups in our homes, sharing meals, seeking the face of God, hearing teaching from the Word, and going out to be a light in this world? (Sounds like the early church to me!) Let’s be driven by relationships instead of programs. Instead of leaving our neighborhoods, let’s stay in them, know them, serve them, and see them changed.

What to expect?  Lots of thoughts about how church is done, how it can be done, some good Bible teaching, and maybe some random thoughts on my interests (Batman! Wimbledon! Where’d you all go!?). Hopefully in an unvarnished, plain way.  And I’m looking forward to some awesome conversations so I can learn from you, too.

So if you want to hear more, stay tuned! Follow me! Introduce yourself below! And answer the question from above – what has your experience been with church?