Good morning everyone! Hope you are doing well this mid week!

Today’s scripture:

Luke 4:16-24 (NRSV)

16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 

This summer I moved to NE Portland to serve Rose City Park UMC.  It has been quite the summer of transitions! We moved from McMinnville to Portland into a studio for four months while the parsonage was being remodeled, we got married, then moved into the parsonage all while I started a new job in a new city to me.  Jenny switched PCC campuses so kinda started a new job. All the while, we have been figuring out what it means to be in Portland.

Switching locations means that I have been trying to find who I am in the midst of a new place.  I know that there are solid things that make me me but at the same time it is an opportunity to find out who I am here. Will I take up new hobbies? Will I keep some of my other hobbies? Who will my friend circle become? I know that I keep my close friends although I won’t interact with them with as much frequency. Who will those people become in my life?  What will Jenny and I pick up to do as a couple in this place? What will our home inspire to be? What do I want my office working space to look like? And most important…where is MY coffeeshop?

As we are now a few months in, those things are starting to fall into place and the ground feels a bit more solid and yet I am learning new things about this space and myself every day. How “we do things.” What I like to do in this space. Where my places are. What I will do for myself in the midst of all of this. What an interesting exercise! What will I do that is just for me?

I am still figuring all of that out and I am sure it is a process that we never really end.  What I have found is that I am still incredibly passionate about where God is calling me. For some reason, I keep getting drawn into the homeless conversation.  I am passionate about leading churches toward change and new kinds of relevancy. These are consistent even if I am not. This is what lights me on fire.

So when I opened the Luke passage today and my heart started to sing, I knew i needed to share the process. This call interpreted by Jesus through prophet’s poetry is our basic call from God. This is consistent and consistently gets me empassioned to move foward.  We are anointed to bring good news to the poor! We are to proclaim release to captives. We are to proclaim the year of the Lord. No matter what I know these calls still hold true even as often as I grow and learn and change.

Where does your call lie no matter what? What are you doing that makes your heart sing? Who will you be this year and what will you do that is just for you in the midst of this chaotic world?