  Okay... it's official. For those of you who have been praying for and encouraging our family - the decision is done. We are going back to Yorba Linda Friends Church! For those of you who have not been in the loop - here's the story. Late last year, I was in a class in grad school with Matt Cork, the lead pastor of YLFC. He and I began a conversation about the emerging culture and the subsequent church culture change that is happening.
I shared my vision for what we were doing at South County United and our heartbeat for engaging this culture spiritually aand redemptively. He asked me at that time if I'd be interested in coming back to YLFC. My reply, "Thanks, but no thanks. " Matt continued after me. I decided that I would pray about it and see if God was in it. I met with the Team Leaders there at YLFC and shared my heart with them for a new expression of spirituality and church culture.
I figured, what do I have to lose, huh! It went well. I met with the elders and decided that I would completely be myself, letting them know my thoughts on life, spirituality, God and church. There were a few wide eyes, but all in all they unanimously agreed to extend an offer to me to come back to YLFC. After a few weeks of agonizing and wondering about "going back". We felt that God was moving in a unique way.
I spent 11 years of my life there and left - to find out what I believed and how I wanted to embrace God and life. The invitation to "go back" and help change the church culture there is an amazing opportunity. As Angie Horn-Andreu put it. "Anyone can go off and start their own thing, but how many people are invited to go back to change something that already is. " Words of wisdom right there! [She also made the following comment, "Are they sure they know what they're getting themselves into?
Do they really know you? " Hhhmmm. ] In short, I'm going back as the teaching pastor of The Journey, a new expression of Yorba Linda Friends Church. Our dream is to see a community of people embrace God and spirituality in a new way. It will not be just "a service" but an emerging community of followers celebrating and doing life together - embracing the journey of spirituality in today's culture. Our hope is to see a community of people experiencing a deep sense of love and transformation where they live - with those who follow Jesus and those who don't.
The "goal" from the Yorba Linda side is to dive into this new mindset of how we connect with God, exploring it as the DNA of the Yorba Linda Friends Church of the future. Lately, I've been awakening to the reality that it's not all about "opportunities" that come our way, but also about the people we get to travel the road with. What makes this jorney all the sweeter is that I get to travel it with a true "brother", Jasen Ashdown. Ash was our worship leader at the inception of South County United, and lived with us for about 6 months. During that time, God fused our hearts and souls together. When this YLFC thing was fermenting in us, I contacted Jasen about coming with us and being a part of the team for The Journey.
I am so blessed to be in partnership again with such a great friend and amazing worship leader. The two of us working together is a dream come true. I'm so excited to see all that God does as we travel the road together. Stop by the blog frequently, as I will be using this canvas as a place to "think out loud" about the journey we are on and the conversations that help formulate our experience. My hope is to be honest about our church journey, as well as my own journey of awakening to God in this world. So there ya have it!
We're following and desperately wanting to be exactly where God wants us to be - wherever that may be. This is not how we would have written the story, but we have a profound sense that something is being born - in us and in the community of his followers. Our community of followers that gather together at South County United are excited as well. They are sending us out as "missionaries" of a new expression in this culture, and we sense their love and support. They are an amazing body with an amazing vision for God and our communities. I am deeply and spiritually changed by my time there.
And so the journey begins... 
