I have only been meaning to sit down and write this post since our time at James River came to an end. Better late than never, right?  

James River Assembly, I hear you are called James River
Church now, but to me you will always be JRA. I spent five years of my life a
part of what you were doing for the community, and I left changed. The person I
was when my mom and I drove down that highway and looked at the huge building
we were convinced had to be a mall, and not a church, is not the person I was
when I said goodbye.

I came to James River not knowing who I was or even why I
was going there, but I knew God was calling me to be a part of Master’s
Commission. I don’t really know why I listened, but something in me said to.
God changed me in the time that I spent there. I really discovered so much
about the character of who God was and what He had for my life. I think so much
of me discovering those truths was because of the love found in your church.

I don’t think I would have had the same growth in my life if
I wasn’t constantly stretched. I don’t think I would have discovered my purpose
if I wasn’t challenged to seek God. I don’t think I would have stopped trying
to run if there weren’t people who cared about me. God used you to be a
critical part of my life, and I don’t ever want to forget what I learned from
you.

{Five Star} I cannot even
count the number of times I heard this statement. James River always challenged
me to be Five Star in everything. It was about paying attention to detail,
right down to the spacing between the chairs, the spacing in the walkway, and
the direction chairs were facing when set up in the auditorium. It is the
reason why I can’t just settle for doing good. I have to do my best. I do not
want to shoot for three star treatment; I want to shoot for five star
treatment. What can I do to go above and beyond just what’s good, to doing
what’s best? It is amazing how much difference that little details make. The
difference between things falling off the wall, or done half way, to diligently
making an area look like it has been taken care of can make all the difference
in the message sent to people who come. Being five star became a verb. Five
star was about always looking for something that we can improve in, always
looking for how we can do something better. Never being at a place where we
think we have arrived, but always being at a place where we are looking to grow.
Three star was pointing someone in the direction they needed to go, five star
was dropping what I was doing to walk them there, or if I couldn’t to make sure
someone could. It was above and beyond.

{It is about the People} This
is why five star was so important. Ministry was not for me, or to make the
church look good, it was about the people. It was about seeking to make a
difference in the lives of those we came in contact with. Seeking to make
connections with those who walked in the doors so that they would know they
were loved. The power that a phone call held in making sure someone’s first
experience dropping off their children went well. The power in a visit with
some freshly baked cookies the day after visiting the church. The power in
having eyes to look for someone who needed encouragement – church is about the
people. What a difference the church can make when they are focused on the
people.

{Love the Church} Loving
the church was about taking pride in the house that God had you in. Loving the
church meant serving the church. If I loved God, and I loved where He had me,
why wouldn’t I want to be a part of what He was doing in that body? We are
called to be a part of the body of Christ and serve like crazy.

{Leaders Lead} I will
never forget the first women’s conference I served at while in Master’s
Commission. We were assigned bathroom duty, and my leader took the toilets. She
didn’t stand there and watch us do our job, delegate duties, and oversee – no,
she got dirty. She got down and did the exact same thing that was being asked
of us, and she did it with a smile on her face. All those nights we were there
until midnight or later preparing the church for an event, our leaders were
right there doing the same things they were asking us to do. While I was
hanging snowflakes on the ceiling, my leaders were cutting Styrofoam and making
a set. They worked just as hard, if not harder than those they were leading. A
leader doesn’t ask someone to do something they aren’t willing to do
themselves. 

I am sure these concepts seem to be no surprise at all; this
is something everyone is doing, or should be doing. You are probably thinking
this is something you can find being practiced at many places, and I am sure
that is true. But this is where I learned about these truths, and I do not ever
want to forget. What makes a difference between knowing and doing these truths
is the heart that comes behind it. None of this would just happen without a
heart that seeks to make them happen. People wouldn’t be cared about and loved
if someone was not seeking to make sure they are loved. There wouldn’t be
challenge to grow and do better if someone was not always looking for how can
they be better.

The thing I will remember above all is the people. Because
you have a heart for the people, every single person who is on staff in that
church has that very purpose in their being. They are there for the people, and
I never had any doubt that I was loved and cared for. I never had any doubt
that their purpose served to grow my relationship with Christ, even when it
meant being hard on me. The love your church held for people now resonates
within my very being. After all, that is what being a Christian is all about,
loving God and loving people.

It is impossible to put all of what I learned in my time at
James River into words, I couldn’t even if I tried. But these four things stand
out above so many more and I don’t ever want to forget them. Leaving James
River was a beautiful beginning to a new season, and there always be a special
place in my heart for the people who impacted my life there. If you are ever in
Springfield, Missouri be sure to make a trip…

And then you can head four hours north and visit me.