Alternate[Or] - One Month to Go

There's just under a month now until the whole 'alternative' gathering thing gets underway. The 8th of February is D-Day. I am finding myself swinging backwards and forwards between a niggling fear of it being a complete failure and the comfort of knowing that, in reality, it's all in God's hands.

I think one of my greatest weaknesses (on that note, I had to do a personality profile yesterday and found out I am a "designer", it was an interesting process - you can read some of my thoughts on personality profiling HERE) is that I tend to race ahead on my own. I feel at times I'm a lot like the little boy, who while walking through the bush, takes off down the track leaving his parents behind, and follows new paths without thinking too hard about which path they will want to take. In the past this has ended up with me being on my own in some kind of stinking mess, crying out to Dad (God) to rescue me.

I guess I've had to learn the hard way that things work out better when I let him do the leading and I do the following - but at times, I still need reminding. And right now I am wondering if this isn't one of those times.

The invitations are going out to those people we have been involved with and who have shown an interest. I am trying to balance the tension of the attractional and the missional, without giving into that part of me that is the marketer - "Roll up, roll up and see the greatest show ever to come to the community of Binningup ...". The fellowship leadership has been given the low down again on the whats and whys of this thing called Alternate[Or] and the regulars will be receiving an info sheet over the next few days.

If you are reading this and you can spare the time, I would really appreciate it if you could offer up a few words for me and for this "new" thing we're attempting (Alyssa and I specifically). I want to be sure it is all the right time and that God is in this and behind this.

Thanks for reading this and for your prayers - I can feel the fear that was creeping in beginning to subside already!