Hello, friends!
When I moved out to Columbia in 2007, it was with a very specific purpose in mind. I was sent to plant an Asian American InterVarsity chapter with hopes of it being one of many chapters in Mid-Missouri. ACF was officially started in the fall of 2007 and we were officially recognized as a student group in October of 2008. For 8 years, Mizzou ACF was my primary chapter. It was my baby and it will always have a special place in my heart.
Over the past 2 years, as I've moved onto other things, I've been less and less involved in the day to day operations of ACF. It's been fine. Danny now and Matti before him have done an incredible job of taking care of the fellowship. Honestly, it'd been a long time since I'd visited a Wednesday night Large Group...
Until last night...
Finally, the Rock has come back to ACF... (shout out to all the fellow WWE fans who got that one). =0).
With Danny up in Iowa for a training, I was invited to come speak for the group. They are going through a series right now on emotions and I was given the topic of "doubt." One of the leaders made Chinese breakfast as the meal, I spoke, and all in all it was a good time. A few observations:
- I love seeing people I don't recognize. One of my favorite things when I visit various churches that I've attended is seeing all the faces that I don't recognize. There are always new people who have started attending since the last time I was there, and oftentimes, they are leading or serving in some capacity. When I walked through the doors and saw all the new faces, it warmed my heart.
- I still love preaching. On the way home yesterday, I realized that it had been a really long time since I'd done any preaching. The last time was probably when I was back in California at my home church. Since I've been planting so much these past few years, I haven't had a big enough group to do any preaching. It felt good to spend time studying the word and putting together an outline, then executing. I'd forgotten how much I'd missed it.
- Some things never change. The faces are different. I was talking with a student who I remember as a Freshman but is a Senior now. We were talking about how much the group has changed over the years. But it really hasn't. It's still about food. It's still a place where people be silly and a little bit awkward. There's still musical worship. Some students eat up the teaching and others struggle to stay awake. The faces are different but the community was definitely familiar.
Friends, it felt good to go home again. As I was leaving, I was thinking about how much fun I had and how I wouldn't mind stopping by more often. Then, I was reminded by God that I'm exactly where I need to be right now. I'm enjoying being at Lincoln. I'm loving putting my baby boy to sleep and hanging out with my wife. I'm content and challenged in my roles. It was good to visit home but it was also good to remember that home now is different, and that's OK.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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