A New Thing

"Forget about what's happened;  don't keep going over old history.

Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.

It's bursting out! Don't you see it?

There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,

rivers in the badlands."

(Isaiah 43:18-19,  The Message)

3trees Church began as Higher Praise Church in September of 2000 inside a storefront building with only a handful of people. And the rest, as they say, is history. We have almost 10 years of history within the church at this point. For some, who have personal ties going beyond that, the history goes back even further.

Over the years, much has happened. People have come and gone, but more importantly, lives have been changed and people have grown. Unfortunately, with human nature as it is, people have also found offenses or conflicts. It's normal. It happens. Within our current building, we have grown as a family, and along with that, we have fed both the good and the bad of ourselves. It's what families often do. As Pastor Eric said in so many words, there is something on this hillside that allows us to keep getting beyond ourselves and reaching for more of God.

I heard a song by Amy Grant last night with the following lyrics, "There's so much good in the worst of us.  There's so much bad in the best of us.  It never makes sense for any of us, to criticize the rest of us.  We'll just find what we're looking for---we'll find it and so much more."

I drove to the church last night and spent some time just looking at the new building. There it sat, in all it's wonder, almost exactly as the pastor envisioned it---to every detail of how he felt God wanted it. Having seen the progress of several home building projects, it can only be God that allowed everything to work out as it has. I won't say it has been without difficulty, without tough decisions, or without some rough patches, but there it is!  Yet, as beautiful as it is, what will really matter is what we put inside of it and what we do inside of it. It will be the people that makes the building remain beautiful just as our own soul makes us beautiful or not.

Our theme for 2010 is Begin Again in 2010. On August 8, 2010, I believe we truly step into our opportunity to begin again. Everything we have been up to this point has shaped us, molded us, and given us the skills we need to pursue our destiny. However, I do not believe God intends for us to step into the future while looking back at the past. I do not believe He intends for us to carry the old with us into the new. I truly believe He wants to do a new thing on our hillside and in our hearts. I believe we are blessed to have been given this opportunity, and we should seize it with excitement and willingness.

It is my personal conviction that it is time for all of us to clean our slates. It is time to erase anything and everything old that could stand between us and God. Today, I ask you to take everything to the cross and leave it there. It no longer matters who, what, when, and where. Leave it with God. We also need to do the same within ourselves. If we harbor any guilt from past mistakes, if we are carrying any bitterness from things we wish we hadn't done, if we have any doubt God wants to use us, we need to let it go. Let it go, give it to God, and walk in the forgiveness He has offered you.

Today, let us erase it all. On August 8th, let us walk into our future with a completely clean slate, ready to be written on by God.  With clean hands and a pure heart, let us say, "Here we are God---use us!"