the    sides

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

If I’m lifted up - I’ll draw all kinds of people to me, Jesus

The brutal honesty of starting a student ministry from scratch is this - foundation work is frustrating. Ever been to a construction site when they are pouring the fittings or laying concrete block? Ridiculous boring. Then there’s the foreman who walks around and shakes his head and has the workers do certain sections over again, which is more TIME “lost.” It LOOKS like they are just a bunch of guys staring in the ground while the others “work.” It LOOKS like it’s just a complete waste of time for most of the people there. It FEELS like wasted time.

The real fun starts when the framers, roofers, and bricklayers show up.

“The foundation is the most important part of a building.
Nobody but a builder really believes that. It’s the longest to build, easiest to screw up and has the least amount of sex appeal to a building.

“What are you doing?” “Watching concrete set.”

How exciting. A real builder would answer this way - “I’m making sure the foundation is level, stable, and strong enough to put an entire building on it.”

So here we are, watching concrete set. We are practicing some disciplines, trying to hear to whisper of the Spirit. How will we react when the “mad dogs” that want to put up framing and roofs and walls too soon? Will my ego handle the short-term “what the heck are you doing?” questions? (My answer - we’re learning…together.) Will we invest in the now for the future instead of investing for the future at the expense of the now?

So far - the answers are good. We’re gambling that Jesus is right.

And yeah, it’s work. It’s slow. It’s at times - dare I say it - monotonous.

But there is honestly, no other place I’d rather be.