sides
I’ve now preached my last sermon at Grace and locked up after church my last time. (Which for all the Grace readers - we use a lot of lights on Sunday morning. Just an observation.) There was a basket of cards and throngs of people who just wanted a hug and some face time after the service. We have a ton of thank you cards to write. What sticks out most about the morning?
I guess how many times the words “real” and “authentic” as well as “a hunger and love of Jesus” were used to describe Amy and me.
I honestly have never thought of us as being the model of what a Christian family should look like. (And if you’ve spent any time at our house, you’d agree with that!!!) But I do think that Amy and I were fortunate very early in our marriage and ministry to be challenged with a decision. Are you going to be real with your junk?
I was first challenged with that while in college by a guy named Walter Knight. He was pretty blunt about the whole mess.
As a spiritual leader you are going to be tempted to whitewash your failings and rough edges. You’re going to be tempted to be “nice” to everyone and be pleasing to everyone, hide or at the very least keep at a distance your failings, insecurities, and work areas. A lot of guys do it, they have very “successful” ministries and many “friends.”
It also all crashes at some point. Doesn’t have to be a moral failure but you wake up and your own family doesn’t know who you are or nobody else does for that matter.
OR you can choose “the DARK SIDE.” 
Be real with your junk. No pretenses, no fakeness, just be who God’s wired you to be, keep striving to grow. The dangers of this is there will be many people who won’t get it. They will be intimidated by the authenticness. Their response will either be embrace it and run closer to Jesus or they’ll judge it as immaturity and throw rocks at it (you).
The benefits of this is a deeper love of Jesus, deeper love of people, an openness and attractiveness to lead people further up and further in with their walk with Jesus. An understanding of the reality that God doesn’t NEED you in ministry but WANTS you in ministry. (He didn’t unpack that phrase at the time but after a few years, I finally got it.) And possibly smaller crowds during revival week. (You can’t win them all.)
But it’s worth it.
So this morning as we were being prayed over by Grace and I recounted the 4 and half years…I had to once again agree with Walter. It is worth it.
8 responses so far ↓
1 rob // Aug 27, 2006 at 6:52 pm
All I’ve known from you is authenticty. May the Lord continue to bless you on your new adventures with him further west.
2 clay // Aug 27, 2006 at 9:37 pm
grantney, those are words that i would have used to describe your stay at grace as well. besides real, you had the ability to communicate it to the church, at least to the youth. you impacted my life and pushed me to places i didnt know i could go. you, as well as steve, harry and mark were examples of how a man can be a man and walk with christ. i appreciate your time and love for us over the years.
3 H // Aug 27, 2006 at 11:00 pm
I am so glad to have walk with you a good part of the 4+ years. I have never ever done ministry with a paid staff guy that didn’t have at least a little of the ministeral arrogance. I’ll always felt like you were keeping it real. I always felt like I could tell you where my heart was at, and not be judged. I always felt like you have my best interest at heart, not because it was your job, but because you care. THAT is keeping it real. THAT is doing life together. And THAT is what you will have left with me.
Thanks pal!
4 kris // Aug 28, 2006 at 8:24 am
good for you guys … keep that close to your heart as you begin the next part of your journey - it is always a temptation to ’shut up and be nice’ - especially somewhere new. be who God asks you to be.
5 Dr. Laura // Aug 28, 2006 at 9:44 am
I figured if I kept scrolling down, I would get through all that NFL junk and find something worth commenting on…I want to thank you and Amy for your friendship and for opening your home to me when I needed it most. Thank you for always challenging me with your sermons and encouraging me with your words. Hook’em!
6 Mike R // Aug 28, 2006 at 10:16 am
All I know is the guitar sounded frakin’ awesome yesterday.
7 Mike R // Aug 28, 2006 at 10:32 am
“Frakin’”? I meant freakin’.
I kinda like the sound of that though. I might have to start using it.
Frakin’ A!
8 Mike S // Aug 28, 2006 at 5:38 pm
Thanks for being a model for the rest of us “professionals”. And thanks for the reminder.
Praying for you, Ames, and the kiddos as you make this transition.
Luckeee!!
Leave a Comment