Learning...

These last couple of weeks have been pretty incredible. It has been a learning experience for sure, sometimes really frustrating sometimes elating.
I love it and hate it all at the same time, and the reason for it both is that I am not in control. I love being in charge, love controlling my own destiny - or at least thinking that I am...
Following Jesus to Austin has been one step of faith after another, and the journey has been intense. I have always worked in established environments, other than starting my own window-washing business several years ago. Things were nicely mapped out for me, the infrastructure was in place and I could control my fate by how hard I worked, how much I studied, how well I organized, or how inspiring and persuasive I talked to people. Well, not any more (to be fair - this has never been true, and God must receive all the glory for anything we did, but I certainly like to believe it is my effort, hard work, cleverness, etc. Oh, the sin of the human heart...).
We are here in Austin to start a church, but Jesus said 'I will build MY church'. We are here to reach people with the life-changing reality of Jesus' love and grace, but we cannot reach anyone, only God can and does draw sinners to Himself in love, saving them from their moral bankruptcy and giving them new and abundant life. Sure we can and should work hard, put ourselves out there, connect with people, love them, serve them in Jesus' name and for His sake, but God has got to do the life-transforming work.
It is true that anyone can make himself a Buddhist, make himself a Hindu, or a Muslim, but nobody can make himself a Christian. Conversion is passive, one is converted (passive) by the grace and power of God.