I was reading of an incredible moment this past week. I was reading a great book entitled 'Chasing the Wild Goose' or something along that lines. If I just butchered the title, sorry! Mark Batterson wrote the book and I am miserable with titles. Anyway, he was describing those who chase this huge Kingdom concept and whose lives are consumed for one singular passion. In a particular section, he wrote about 'one-way missionaries' from the early 1900's. Essentially, these band of mission-impassioned Christ-followers built their own caskets; stored their resources in the casket; bought one-way tickets to a foreign land; and left. Wow! So, I'm reading about a guy named Milne, who went to a place where those who had preceded him had already been martyred. Pretty risky and pretty impassioned. Casket and resources in tow, he bought his one-way ticket and left. 35 years later, he died. His epitaph read, when you came, there was no light. When you left, there was no darkness.

Wow. Oh my! As I finished that reading, I put the book down and I was undone before God. I am asking God, 'okay, what is my holy passion and glorious obsession that will reveal and unveil LIGHT in the midst of darkness?' I cannot think of a better epitaph. When I came, there was no light. When I left, no darkness. As I was praying for EBC, I am convinced that God has wired each of us uniquely and profoundly with amazing gifts, abilities, passions, and circumstances. He will use each of us to dispel the darkness. My heart-cry is that we build our caskets and give the rest of our lives away for the advance of the gospel.... as God uniquely expresses that through our fellowship in remarkable and "God-only" ways.

Out of that, we might just become the 'most humble people on the planet.' I love that verse describing Moses. May that verse describe us as well. 'That group of Christ-followers at EBC, they are the most humble people on the planet' BECAUSE we are experiencing so many God-sized, God-ordained, God-glorifying moments that we simply cannot point toward anyone but Him and His fame and His glory and Him alone. Yeah!

Perhaps, because we gather and because we are growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and because Christ is finding much room to be Himself in and through us and because we exist to ignite and inspire a passion for Jesus Christ.... because all of that is going on we will find that the darkness that abounds is being driven away by the ever-increasing glory of God's renown and His light and life living through us! May it be....

When you came, there was no light. When you left, there is no darkness! Amen. So be it, Lord.

By Grace... For Glory,

Mark