Four Years of Remembering

During week two of the current Talk to Me series, we took a weekend out to Remember two specific areas that seem to have been developing, expanding and maturing since Watershed's inception four years ago. Specifically the areas of Justice/Mercy and Relationships. If you missed this particular weekend, it would be well worth your while to check out the Watershed podcast online. At the very least, you should check out the video testimony Heidi Snyderburn's presented in the area of Justice. (Scroll down.)

Week two was also special in that there was an interactive at the end of Transit. Essentially, we invited everyone present to take a moment and reflect on the past weeks, months and years of their journey with God since connecting to our community. On a 6 x 6 piece of origami paper, we asked those in attendance to write down the one or two events, circumstances or epiphanies where their relationship with God made a difference or specific area or a circumstance or situation in which they desired God to become actively involved in. We then had them bring come forward and attach them to a display that stood in front of the stage.

The display was an mile marker of sorts, telling the story of our struggles, callings, victories, dreams, and longings for so much more in our lives. It was a symbol of our deep-seated desire for more of God's work in our lives. As you enter the lobby this Sunday at Center Stage, if you missed week two, you are invited to add to what we as a community have been building on for the past two weekends. Simply take a moment and write down something within your life connected to God that is noteworthy from the past year. Or, take a moment and pen an anonymous prayer to God about something in your life or future that you sense would be important for Him to have influence or sway. Hope you can make it to Transit this Sunday.

FC Watershed wins championship!

A big high five to our Soccer Bloc. They recently became league champs by SPANKING their opponent 7-1! I'm not sure that's what Jesus would have done? But WAY TO GO nonetheless!

(Brian Buchanan,.. digging those socks!)

What has happened?

To say we've been running to beat the band since moving into Center Stage this past August is a gross understatement. So much has happened that has created incredible momentum in some really key areas for us as a community. Greenhouse for our kids is healthier and more vibrant. Our bloc community is thriving like never before. Roughly 75% of our regular attenders are connecting into blocs these days. Transformation continues to happen and people continue to experience forward motion towards a life with Christ. I told one of our bloc leaders just this past week that we are hoping to start 2 to 3 new blocs in January. If we started them tomorrow, I think we'd fill them up in a flash.

All this to say, in the frenzy of it all, we have yet to really stop and bask in what's happened and how God has really infused and blessed this community in some unique ways. So this Sunday... we want to attempt to do this at some level. In order to know who you are, in order to know who you are becoming, it's important to be clear on where you've been and what has happened. How often, in our own lives, do we fail to slow down long enough to consider the past? How stronger would our self awareness be, how stronger would our decisions regarding the present...and ultimately our future become if we were to make this a consistent rhythm in our lives. And how would this fare if we began including God in the mix of it all as well.

I'm really looking forward to this Sunday! Hope you can join me.

P.S. Don't forget. This Sunday at 2 a.m. there is a time change. Falling back is the drill I believe. Enjoy your extra hour of Z's.

Communion...Community

I will continue my thoughts on those things that perplex me next week. Sorry for the brief intermission in my blogging. The demands of Watershed and my family, forced me to step away for a couple of weeks.

To wrap up the Playlist series this Sunday, in Transit, we will be observing communion as part of the Transit experience. We do this in Transit once a quarter. For so many, whether they are casual observers or active participants, it has the potential to become a powerful moment. In terms of how we view communion, the eucharist or the partaking of the sacraments, allow me to offer some perspective in regards to how we see this playing out in our community. I hope this enriches and help prepare you for this weekend.

Each time the elements are served, for the person who has identified their life with Jesus, it's a reminder of what has happened on our behalf and what is possible in our life with him. Just as the body of Jesus was broken and his blood spilled on our behalf, just as he was resurrected, we too, in our brokenness and sin, by identifying ourselves with him, we too can now experience a life that is resurrected/resurrecting. Hence, for someone struggling, for someone at the end of their rope, for someone disoriented by the weight of a life gone haywire, entering into this age old practice has the potential to be transforming and healing.

It's also serves as a symbol of how, in our brokenness and in Christ...we are united as a community. There's so much that divides us in this world. As a Jesus community, those things that inherently divide the rest of the world,... those things need not divide us. Instead we are to be united as brothers and sisters in Christ's life, death and resurrection. We are reminded, in partaking of the Eucharist, that our flaws create a common point of connection and that in spite of this flaw, we are united by the potential and possibility of a new life in Jesus.

One last thing, the supper, sitting at the table... partaking... is in it's essence, is an invitation to let go of bitterness, anger, and the unwillingness to forgive. It's the opportunity, and really, it's our calling and mandate as followers of Jesus, to repent of any sin or indiscretion in our personal lives. To seek forgiveness from someone we've offended. To ask God's forgiveness. And to once again, accept the grace that's been offered by his work in Jesus.

So much more could be said about communion. I will apologize in advance for being incomplete at one level. But I wanted to at least get your wheels turning in a way that may cause you to move towards this weekend with a greater measure of reflection, a deeper sense of appreciation, an expanded perspective of connectedness and finally, a reason to experience celebration.

Grace and Peace,

Matt

Perplexed... Part 1

There are days this all seems surreal. It's mind boggling to consider how different, physically, culturally, relationally, philosophically, theologically, financially and spiritually our family is today, compared to who we were before moving to Charlotte. In the four years we've been here, we've met some of the most amazing people, experienced some of our most meaningful moments together as a family and observed God's grace and mercy throughout the process. But in all that, I have to admit, four years into this gig, there are some things that remain perplexing to me. It thought I'd take the next several posts over the next couple of weeks and, in no particular order, muse over some of the more vexing and perplexing aspects of culture and our community here at Watershed. Please note these are my personal struggles and do not necessarily reflect the overall disposition of our staff or leadership community in general.

So here's the first one. I'm perplexed why more churches and communities of faith, don't explore dual leadership. Co-Pastoring with Scott Hofert has been the single greatest opportunity in my leadership life. I admire and am humbled by men and women who are at the pastoring helm of their community. I can't imagine the pressure, burden and loneliness of such a position. But quite frankly, I hope I never experience it. Scott and I, in many ways are profoundly similar in the way we see life, the world and our lives with God. However, we are profoundly different in how we communicate, connect and manage our lives and our leadership. In most settings, this diversity and difference would propagate power struggles and inflated egos. Call it God's grace, call it two guys transformed by Christ.... but so far, in the 11 years we've been friends and co-leaders, pride and jealousy have given away to admiration, trust and brotherhood.

With the high burnout rate for pastors, the potential for enormous set backs in a church, should a pastor, for whatever reason, unexpectedly no longer be able to fulfill his or her role as pastor, I'm perplexed why more church planters and more church leaders wouldn't at least consider this an option. I wish every pastor had a Scott Hofert to lead with and to be lead along side of.

Be on the look out Monday, for Perplexity number 2....

Kendra and Scott Miller are Parents!

Man! It is baby central at Watershed this week! Three days ago I announced the birth of Gage Lee Williams, Gregg and Amanda's new son. This morning around 9am, I got a text from Scott Miller. Elle Leighton Miller - 7lbs 14oz - born at 8:13am

Later, this email arrived. "She is beautiful." A huge congrats to Scott and Kendra ...and now Elle. Scott went on to say that Elle has a little fluid in her lungs but is doing good. She is going to have to be in the NicU for 24hrs so they can monitor her more closely. Please join our staff and leadership as we celebrate Elle's arrival and pray for her quick recovery.

Tomorrow, Watershed turns FOUR!

Greg and Amanda Williams connected here at Watershed a little over 3 years ago. Gregg is an avid sports fan. (A man I can totally relate to.) Yesterday I got a call from Gregg around 10 a.m. to inform me that Amanda was in Labor and that they were on their way to the hospital. By 4:45 p.m. I received a text from Gregg that read, " 7 lbs. 15 0z. .... Gage Lee Williams.

Watching Gregg and Amanda become parents again makes my heart leap. Three years ago, when they arrived at Watershed, their relationship with each other was experiencing major turbulence. The past three years has had its shares of ups and downs. However, two years ago, Gregg embraced faith in Christ. Both He and Amanda became involved in community, in leadership and in serving, the fruit of which has been legitimate transformation, a healthier marriage and an increased stability in their life. And now they have a new son.

All this to say, this morning, as I sat in their hospital room at CMC watching Amanda hold her new son, I choked back the tears. Tomorrow, Watershed turns four. It was September 17, 2005 when we had our first Transit at Actor's Theatre. Simply put, it's people and families like the Williams, .... Gregg, Amanda, Gavin and now Gage, that have become a part of the incredible unfolding story of God's movement within this community.

How incredible will it be 20 years from now to look back to remember and celebrate all that God has done in the life of this family, their boys and the numerous other individuals and families whose life and story are the very fabric upon which God has sown his justice, mercy and love into a broken and hurting world. How incredible and wonderful this will be?

Thank you God, for your seismic movements in our life.

Thank you Spirit, for your nudges, promptings and convictions about what is right and true in our life and this world. Continue to push us towards a life that looks less like US and more like Jesus.

Thank you Jesus, for your outrageous sacrifice and gift of life. You are the center of it all. You are the healer and metronome of our heart. May our life, be ever moving towards the sort of humanity you long to see in us and in the world.

Milestones

Today my son reached a milestone in his life today. He turned 8 years old. I asked him if he could tell me the most important thing he'd learned in the first 8 years of his life. He said, "That you and mommy are my mommy and daddy."

Check out photos of us all together for the first time in Bangkok and then a photo taken last week. Man! It's amazing how life can change in only six years.

Refraction and Hope

At 7am today, I arrived at Panera on Fairview Road for some alone and insulated time with God. The patio there is usually vacant most of the morning and it's solitude makes for great conversation and reflection. There was a gentle thunder storm moving in as I pulled into the parking lot and as I exited my Jeep, I noticed the most amazing rainbow I think I've ever seen. I don't know what a perfect rainbow looks like, but if there is such a thing, this one had to be close. I'm not fully informed on the science behind rainbows, however, I know that they have a tendency to appear when dark clouds and rain hover. They appear, (I think), as a result of LIGHT refracting amidst the cloud cover in ways that create color, form and brilliance in an otherwise dingy sky.

At Watershed rarely does a week pass without someone bringing to my attention their own or someone else's story of suffering or struggle. We are a mosaic of broken and restored people. Many, who have been through rain, storm and wind. And many who have experienced God's compassion, mercy and strength breaking through the darkness, piercing the gray, in ways that have brought color, form and (His) brilliance into our lives.

During this first weekend of Playlist, this will be our topic of conversation. Is there hope amidst the struggles and set backs of life?

Hope you can join us.

My Wife Bustin a Move...Indian Style

My family and I went to the India Festival in Uptown this evening. This is an annual event that we always look forward to. This year, for the first time, our kids and Donna decided to stick dance in front of the main stage. Donna originally went out to just help the kids do the dance. However, she was coerced, by a very enthusiastic Indian gentleman to stick dance with him. To say I was in stitches is an understatement. This song went on for about 20 minutes and the guy wouldn't let her stop dancing. He was son enthusiastic! Check it out.