Thursday, June 7, 2012

RichmondGRID and the Glory of God

I was hanging out at Boyer's Coffee and Ice Cream the other day (like them on fb here) when I picked up a copy of something interesting, something I had not seen before, something that really caught my attention ... it was a magazine called Richmond Grid. As I thumbed through I saw themes pop up that really resonated with me: creativity, innovation, service. This was a magazine that highlighted activity in the city that I really cared about - I was hooked.

When I got home I looked them up online to see about getting a subscription (http://richmondgrid.com/), and on their website I found the following titles ... Kindness: Every Move Matters. Richmond Moves to Knock Out Poverty. And an article about a VCU student who started the Humanity Helping Sudan Project. This was exciting stuff!

But do you know what I didn't see, anywhere. The church. I kept thumbing through, kept looking; I saw lots about non-profits, I saw lots of words and phrases that we use in church, but no recognition of the church impacting the city through innovation, creativity, and service. And these things belong to God! He created creativity! He calls us to service! But the glory of God was not represented in this publication, which was all about things that He made for His glory. Certainly part of that is due to the anti-church bias that seems to be pervasive, especially in urban settings. But part of it is because the church is so far behind in these areas!

I quickly felt God stirring something in my heart - infiltrate, let the Kingdom break through in your life, and make it known. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:16. These people are letting their lights shine! And doing good deeds ... but I heard nothing about the glory of God. I want to change that.

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