30 Jan A Residency Update
It?s a new year, and as residents, we are gearing up for all that the Lord plans on teaching us. Here are a few things that are going on in our world right now:
- We?re settling into our roles, jobs, and contexts.?The past semester was a time of transition for us. Between new homes, pregnancies, marriages, college graduations, or new jobs, all of us went through a lot in the fall. But now that we?re more or less settled into our new roles and places, we?re finally getting to dig in and live out the callings that the Lord has given each of us. Through all of this, we?ve been able to learn a lot about how God puts us into?specific places?to bear witness to the gospel of Christ in?specific ways. At the start of the New Year, we spent some time as a church talking about Paul?s wisdom in 1 Corinthians?7:17, where he writes, ?only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.? It?s tempting as a resident to think about the ?next stage? in life, or to despise current statuses and limitations when thinking about serving the Lord. But it?s been crucial for us to see that we?re called to be faithful in our current vocations, not in hypothetical situations that have yet to arrive.
- We?re learning about leading and growing.?Our church has seen a good amount of growth over the past season. With that, we?ve gotten to see firsthand as our church transitions from one stage of operation to another. With that comes having to reorient, retool, and rethink how to best serve the body and remain faithful to multiplying disciples. Going through this has been challenging, empowering, and encouraging.
- We?re loving some new office space!?At the start of the year, we moved into a small house near downtown and converted into office space. We love it! We have more freedom to work together, to fellowship, and to study and pray about those we have been called to lead. We hope that this office space will be an asset not just to us but to our entire church family.
Here are a few things to pray for us about:
- Pray that we would each be given guidance in how to best utilize our gifts for the benefit of our church.?One of the most exciting things about G LINK is getting to work with others who are in a similar life stage but gifted in ways very different from you. Pray that we?d be able to maximize the diversity of our gifts for the building up of the body.
- Pray that we would keep the gospel at the forefront of all that we do.?As we grow, it?s so easy for us to become tempted to focus on our to-do lists, projects, and action items. But when that happens, we sadly find ourselves thinking less on the privilege of participating in Christ?s body as recipients of the gospel and more about our own self-importance. Pray for our humility and spiritual vitality in the midst of busy-ness.
- Pray for missional impact.?We?ve been given great opportunities to connect with the lost in Greer. Pray that we would wade confidently into darkness with the light of the gospel. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 has been impactful as I?ve considered our task in Greer: ?For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus? sake. For God, who said, ?Let light shine out of darkness,? has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.? May this be our motivation, comfort, and joy as we go forward in the residency!
Jon Hyatt
Generation LINK Resident
Greer, South Carolina