The hard work of relationships

We share a closet at the school we rent. It's big, but it is still shared. The school did a large event for it's graduating seniors this week, and they saw a projection screen in the closet, thought it was theirs and set it up for us. It was actually The River's screen, but it was an understandable mistake for two reasons:

1. Their screen was supposed to be in the closet, but wasn't.
2. We did not label our screen.

Now, I figured this was going to happen at some point. If it hadn't happened over this, it would have happened over something else. And the typical way to prevent such problems such as this is to label stuff. You know, put a big stamp on it that says "MINE! HANDS OFF!" I thought about doing that, and decided against it. Why? Because if The River is really going to be about relationships with God and each other, then a warning sign is not the way to go. Warning signs do not help relationships- they prevent them by stopping conflict. And resolving conflict in a healthy way is a crucial part to any healthy relationship. It's not fun, and it's hard work, but it's necessary to have authentic relationships.

So I'm glad this happened. It was resolved in a healthy manner, and I think our relationship with the school is stronger as a result. It was hard work, but I think it showed them and us who we are going to be: The River is about relationships with God and each other. That's hard work, but it's very rewarding, and it's something sorely lacking in our culture today. We can (and often do) just cut and run from an unpleasant relationship. We're not going to do that. We're in it for the long haul, so we're going to do the hard work. Since this was a step in the right direction, I thank God that this happened.

I'm also glad it's over, and we're going to label our stuff this weekend. Having this conflict may have been healthy and good, but that doesn't mean I want to do it again soon!

Are we trendy?

I went to a retreat last week at Holy Trinity retreat center in Alabama, and it was a nice chance to catch up with other pastors starting churches and connect with them and God. It was refreshing, rejuvenating, and relaxing.

But when I walked into the retreat center, I took a look around and thought "This is nice, but it is so 1960's." Which is weird, because I usually don't think like that. It was amazing- I expected to hear The Beatles and see some long haired, bell bottom wearing Jesus Freaks come walking around the corner. It was just that palpable. Which is fine. It didn't bother me.

But it did get me thinking about The River. Is what we're doing a trend? Will we go the way of bell bottoms and hippy hair? Or will we be more like The Beatles, whose relevance has continued to the present day and will continue beyond? Part me thinks we're the Beatles, because a lot of what we are doing is not new, it is really very old and has simply been rediscovered.

That's just conjecture, though. The truth is I have no idea how we will be viewed in the years to come. All I know is that what we are doing today matters for the folks who are doing it today. Tomorrow will take care of itself. I would love to think that this is part of a larger movement to restore and rejuvenate the Christian church, but that's not for me to do or decide. That's up to God. My focus is on the people around me, and what we are doing matters to them, and that's what matters most to me.

Yet still I wonder...will someone see us in 40 years and think "That is so 2007"? And will I care?

Check back here in 40 years, and I'll let you know!