This past weekend was fantastic. I had a chance to be involved with our children’s ministry event called FX (family experience). I was able to help re-write the script and help with the production, but I was also able to be in different aspects of the night itself. From the many costume changes I went through to the getting out of breath from being a wacky game show host, I loved every aspect of it. The feeling after that night was hard to describe, but the best way I can quantify it was that it felt like home. The feeling of being home is a feeling that you are in a place where you belong. It’s a sense of peace and comfort, where you can feel safe and secure. It’s the feeling I get in the presence of God. I think that’s a beautiful thing. We feel at home when we enter into our passions because God has given us these passions, and he calls us homeward.

I’m sitting in the coffee shop with a grey and rainy sky outside, perfect for an introspective post. I’ve been scared recently. I graduate soon, and all I want to do is serve the next generation and to be in ministry. If I talk about it a lot, it’s because it’s the current mountain I’ve been facing. I’ve been crying out to God asking for doors to be open, but I have to search for the doors first. I think we all have this struggle, we have a desire for more but expect it to fall into our lap. That sure would be nice wouldn’t it? God doesn’t call us to sit back, God calls us to be active in our pursuit of him. When we pursue Christ, then he will reveal and bless us with those desires. I think those desires show up in the form of opportunity. I think it’s easy to miss the opportunity because we are waiting for the grand sign from heaven, when God is simply calling us to look homeward and take small steps. This idea of home is the idea that we are in the presence of God, we are abiding in him. John 15:7 says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” This word abide here means to be in agreement or rest in the presence of God. I want to share a little bit today about the power of being home, being in the presence of God with complete trust. I want to share this because it’s something I’m trying to do right now and in doing so, we can figure out this whole life thing together.

Home is accepting and forgiving.

Many of us have a past we don’t like. We’ve made choices and acted in ways we wish we could change. I know for me I definitely am not a perfect person, but God’s home not only accepts us, he forgives us. One of my favorite movies of all time is The Royal Tanenbaums by Wes Anderson. The movie is of a family that is very odd and each have their own issues. In the course of the film, they are brought back home together. With them, they bring their issues and hardship. They have all felt loss and screwed up. The film shows this and the deep hurt that many of us struggle with (there’s one scene that always makes me cry), seems like a downer, right? The best thing is the way it ends. We see our characters grow and get better, and it ends with a wedding. It is a film about family returning home and helping each other be better than they could do by themselves. I think the same is true for the body of Christ. We are all broken and we all need each other to change. God forgives us, and he tells us to change from our old ways. We need to abide in his presence, realizing that we are all accepted and now it’s time to move away from our old self.

Home is a place for opportunity.

This past weekend I was excited, but I had no idea how passionate it would be in my heart. I have done FX before and always had a great time, but this time I was able to do more with it. I was given an opportunity to step up, and I took it. Little did I know that this would become something that drew me closer to home. I think God gives us opportunity in our waiting, in his presence he gives us small opportunities that will shape the direction of our lives. Seems pretty extreme right? Yeah, but that’s because we have an incredible God who works in ways we don’t understand, but he is always moving. I think God gives us small opportunities. Even people who have a life changing moment have taken small steps to get to that point. Don’t lose heart. Just because God hasn’t spoken to you through a burning bush doesn’t mean he hasn’t been guiding you through the desert. Abide in his presence.

Home houses family.

We don’t have a home without a family, that’s just a house. Maybe I’m thinking too much into this metaphor, but it’s the truth. I love family. I think there is so much power that a family holds. That’s the whole reason why I want to be a next gen pastor, I want to be able to equip families to raise up their children to make a difference and impact lives for the kingdom. The body of Christ is a family, we all are unique and vital to the whole. The home houses family, God wants to bring you into his kingdom. He wants you to come into the family, because there is a place for you in his home.

I hope this post makes sense, I will say my brain is a little tired from sickness and tiredness from the past weekend. It was incredible and gave me this feeling that I had to share and talk about. Much of what I write about is for you as much as it is for me. God has been teaching me a lot in this season of waiting, because the coming season is unknown. I will be graduating and sending out a ministry resume to many churches for a next gen position. I’m excited and terrified all at the same time, but I feel at home. God is going to use me, and I’m not trying to be prideful, because I think God is going to use you. If you have any opportunities at your church or know of something, feel free to let your friendly neighborhood blogger know about it! I’m excited to see what’s to come in my life and I’m excited to see what happens in yours. Feel free to leave a comment about what’s been happening with you, I always love to see what my readers are experiencing. The thing is, we are family, and we are being called toward home. So enter into the presence of God, abide in him and he will do amazing things.

Find home, and rest in the presence.

-Joshua Thomas