Ember Monday

Last night at Ember we started our new series on the book of Titus, called Further the Faith, with a message called The 'A' Word. The passage we dealt with was Titus 1:1-9, where Paul outlines the requirements for church leaders. There are 17 of them, and almost of them are qualifications of character, not skill, talent, or competency. We also introduced the Pastoral Care Team to the church, which is comprised of the three men who lead and shepherd Ember Church.

We had a lot of folks join us for worship for the first time. One couple found out about Ember because they saw someone wearing a t-shirt, checked us out on the web, came to the Trunk or Treat last week, then came back to church this week. So for all of you who have an Ember t-shirt, wear it with pride! You never know what God might do. Another couple came because a friend of theirs saw our sign (which only stays up for about 5 hours on Sunday) and told them about us. As someone who doesn't really believe in church marketing, I am blown away! So if you don't have an Ember t-shirt yet, make sure you talk to me and I'll get you one, for free!

We're getting ready to launch small groups soon. The start date hasn't been determined--the holidays certainly complicate matters. But I'm personally excited to see Ember becoming a more complete church. We're slowly, but surely, working our way into doing this, and I love how it's coming together organically.

On a personal note, I'm continuing to learn and grow at a fast pace. God is deconstructing and reconstructing what I know about him. It's a painful process, at times, but worth it. He is faithful, and he comes through for me in ways that I would never expect. I am firmly planted in his story, and I'm learning and growing into the role he has given me. It's such a privilege and honor to be a pastor. Ember is a good church, and there's no where else I would rather be than living in the heart of God's story with these people, in this city.