Interrupted: An Adventure in Relearning the Essentials of Faith by Hatmaker Jen

Author:Hatmaker, Jen [Hatmaker, Jen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: NAVPress - A
Published: 2009-07-15T05:00:00+00:00

Brandon’s Take

AT THIS POINT we knew we were on a journey like never before. It was marked by a shift in thinking. Initially, it wasn’t about strategy or methodology; it was about our personal hearts and affections. God was speaking to us as never before. Let me add a little perspective to what Jen said about our Easter turnaround.

Mind you, over two days I had worked six Easter services at my church. They were massive, full of energy, and exciting. We had the highest attendance in the history of our church. And I was tired. So tired that I almost stayed home that night instead of driving downtown with Jen to Vox Veniae. But since we had committed to grabbing coffee with Shane afterward, I decided to go anyway. Glad I did.

During worship, I was really giving it up. You know when you’re so tired that you feel a bit vulnerable? And in the middle of a David Crowder song, I had a vision. What? Seriously, I’m not a guy that happens to, but nonetheless I had one.

In it I saw myself walking down the west campus street just outside the church we were in, and a homeless guy yelled from the sidewalk, “Hey, give me your boots.”

For some reason, my immediate response was, “They won’t fit you!”

To which he replied, “Oh, they’ll fit.”

And that was it. I was confused. “What do You want me to do with this, God? Am I supposed to walk down Guadalupe Street after the service? Am I gonna see this guy? Whatever it is, God, I’ll do it. I’ve asked You to speak to me, so I’ll listen.”

It was settled. Afterward, I would walk down the street, find that guy, and hand over my boots. I’d explain it to Jen later. Of course, as you read earlier, I couldn’t have been more surprised when we were given the opportunity to leave our shoes for the homeless during communion. Thirty minutes after that vision, I was handed a chance to obey it. In church.

I was overwhelmed. I guess that homeless guy was right. They’ll fit someone.

God had spoken loudly and very personally. “Yes, Brandon, I’m in this.”

Jen and I both were very convinced. This was for real. So we began the journey of figuring out what this new kind of life looked like. Honestly, I was loving it. The experiences were reshaping my heart, and I could tell I was being transformed. The challenge would surely be to get other Christ followers to experience the same journey, to take the focus off themselves and place it on others, specifically on the least of these. That would be my job.

I began to pray about how to apply it. I felt the best solution was to take “mission” from the final stage of our spiritual development process and place it under “discipleship.” It had to be a key element. It needed to become an integrated part of our lives, maybe even a discipline like daily Bible study was, not just an event we did once a year.

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