Tweener Times
I have written before about how I enjoy the time between seasons more than the actual seasons themselves. There is a mixture of both relief and anticipation in these ‘tweener’ times. Relief, for example, that winter is over and anticipation of the spring and summer ahead. A mixture too, of what was and what will be. We are now in a time between spring and summer. Yesterday was summer-like, today is gray and drizzly like early spring, and the forecast is for summer temperatures through the weekend ahead, a delightful mix as we look forward to those warm, lazy days of summer.
I have been sensing for a while that GPBC is in a ‘tweener’ time. We have been in a season of stability and improving spiritual and relational health for several years. There are signs, however, that a new season in the life of our church is approaching, and it’s one that we can anticipate with excitement. More and more, people in need of God’s grace and healing, people looking for a place to serve, and people seeking to belong to a faith family have been joining us. These people are from a wide range of religious, cultural, economic, and family backgrounds. How exciting is that?! And then, as I listened to the specific praises of so many in our Community Sunday worship last week, I was thrilled and impressed by what the Spirit of Jesus is doing among us. He is definitely up to something good here!
I don’t know what this new season he’s leading us into will look like. I am praying that it will include a growing river of people who hear, perhaps for the first time, who Jesus really is and what he has done for them and then decide to give themselves to him. He told us to “make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey” his commands. We are getting better at the second part of that but we need to be doing a lot more baptizing.
I am really enjoying this ‘tweener’ time in our life together and count it a privilege to be a part of it. But I am also anticipating with excitement the season ahead of us. Let’s all stay close to Jesus and to each other as we find out what he has in store for us.