Realness

So my boy Nick was able to come out to Ames for a Salt Co last night. Oh, Nick, what a guy. He's a good friend from the Central days. We've been connecting a little more lately, kind of because we're both in the phase of graduating but not really moving on. But hey, it's because we're doing ministry, come one! We're not just playing video games in momma's basement... anyway sorry I got defensive.

Well Nick made the drive up from Pella to Ames for the sole purpose of catching a Salt Company service. It was cool to hear his outside perspective, always something that's hard to grasp when you've been in the mix and keeping focused on just this place, as is usually the case. What he said was almost a touch insulting, but nah it was cool. He's been doing the Pella/Central College thing for awhile now, so one of the first things he said was "Man, I want to sometime go and do ministry at a bigger place like this, the people are a lot more real."

Okay, cool thing to share, we can stamp that on our ministry now, "we're real." Yeah! But wait, Nick doesn't actually know anyone at Salt, he mingled with people for like 5 minutes before worship started, how could he have a deep conversation and dig up life issues and encounter our "realness" like that? Well, he didn't. That's the funny thing. He was mostly just judging off appearances.

Not a bad thing, mind you. He's been in the white-picket fence, painted on smile, perfect Utopian world of Pella for some time now. Things aren't very "real" there, at all. Sometimes sickeningly so. I guess one of my first internal reactions to his comment was "HEY are you saying we're gritty and unnerving, putting off a vibe of brokenness?" but now I am mostly thanking God that I have been rescued from the Pella homogeneity. And yes, I'm praising God for our gritty unnerving vibe of brokenness, too.

It makes sense that Nick would make that observation. He's never been one to yield to the "tulip and a smile" culture that tries to swallow Central. He's got a really cool testimony, too, that I got to observe large parts of. That'll be a story for another day. But in the mean time, praise God that, at least on the surface, we are Real here at Salt. But as Mark was teaching last night, Lord may you continue making us are REALER selves, the ones that are regenerated by Jesus's blood and indwelt by His Spirit. Thank you Lord. May you continue transforming us into shinier image bearers.