Goodbyes suck.
Seriously. They do. As many times as I've had to participate in these dreadful events, you'd think they get easier. They don't.
Tonight, my good friend Curt Liles officially announced something we all knew - he's stepping down as the middle school pastor at Crossgates Baptist Church to head to Oxford to start a church. And though I knew it was coming, and have known for a couple of weeks, it wasn't an easy thing to hear, and it's something that probably won't set in for a while.
I haven't had the privilege of knowing Curt for very long, seeing as we officially met in January, but my mom (who is also on staff at CBC) has been telling me for quite some time that he and I would hit it off and that we are a lot alike. And over the past six months I've literally been scared at how similar we are. From our love for all things Ole Miss to video games to just the overall weirdness both of us possess, it is a bit scary. But it's the similarities that make this goodbye thing bittersweet instead of just bitter.
One of the biggest things we have in common is our heart for Oxford, Mississippi. People always say Ole Miss is the best 5 or 6 (or seven) years of your life, and there were definitely times that statement rang true for me. It's an amazing town that is always going to have a special place in my heart.
But Oxford is in need of something that's not there. For a town in the Bible belt, it's surprisingly dark. But I don't think it's a town that is hostile to the gospel - in fact I think it's hungry. And I think that when someone gets there and starts preaching AND living truth, it's going to spread like wildfire. I really believe that. I'm not saying that I think the churches there just suck and are failing and all of that, but I do know from experience the town needs something that's not currently there. It's frustrating to me because I spend a lot of time on Ole Miss message boards and whenever the issue for Sunday alcohol sales comes up, the Baptist churches go crazy and whip up a huge frenzy and vote it down and then they disappear again, and seeing people's reaction to all of this is heartbreaking because people just look and say "oh, Sunday sales are up for vote again, here come the Christians" and then "oh, Sunday sales got shot down again, there go the Christians." And it's frustrating.
Oxford needs a church that is going to be more than that. Part of why I loved RUF so much was because I felt like they were good in this area - both desiring truth and living a Christian life. Not just harping on alcohol, and not just trying to "live in the spirit" with no sense of direction or doctrine or truth, but finding the balance. And that's what I think Curt is going to do, but hopefully out of the university setting.
I also understand that it's not a complete and total goodbye. Oxford is still my home away from home and now I have yet another excuse/reason to go. I can't wait to see what God has in store for Curt, Stephanie, and Laney, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for Oxford. It's going to be big.
Also, for any of the Oxford peeps that happen to read this, be on the lookout. It's gonna get freaky real soon.
-chanchan
3 comments:
I know that God is going to big there and he will tell people the truth trough Curt. It is sad that Curt is leaving but, God is big so its going to be like he wants, and people are need God, so he works His way trough Curt.
I would say I agree with you to some extent, but not completely. To say that there is no one in Oxford preaching AND living the truth is a pretty bold and arrogant statement. I can give you numerous names of people that walk the walk. Has Oxford seen a movement that David Platt speaks of in Radical or Francis Chan speaks of in Crazy Love? No. As Francis Chan would put it, Oxford is full of lukewarm Christians serving leftovers to a Holy God. But that is the current state of the "Church" in America right now. That is the culture our corporate churches have instilled in us. Until we get away from the thought that being a Christian is about our salvation and not doing this or that, we won't change. For me the thought of someone else coming in to start another Sunday morning church doesn't excite me. We have over 80 in Oxford. Does that mean I think they all preach the truth and live it. No not at all. But I do know the Holy Spirit is gaining a lot of mementum in Oxford right now. Christians have to stop thinking church is going to a building on Sunday and listening to 1 person speak. I think instead of opening another church, living within your community and starting "church" within your neighborhood during the week would be much more effective. Do I feel corporate worship is the way God intended? No. The church today looks nothing like the church in Acts. If my wife and I, my neighbor and everyone else in our neighborhood would take seriously that we are to love God with all our heart, love our neighbor as ourself, serve and go make disciples, our churches would be full on Sunday. They would be full of people praising God not coming to get something from the sermon or the music.
Curt is a good friend of mine and I am so excited about his desire to reach people for Christ in the Oxford area. Curt is so gifted and has a heart to spread the gospel. I am confident that God will continue to do incredible things through he and Stephanie.
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