“If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” (Matthew 10:39 NLT)
Remember the paradox of my kingdom: there must be less of you to receive more of me that there may be more of you to serve others. The goal of emptying yourself is not to be empty, but to be full. The goal of dying to self is not to be dead, but to find life in its fullest. The goal of humbling yourself is not to hide, but to lead in a different way. If you are willing, I will show you what it really means to lose your life for my sake and the gospels. If you are not afraid, I will enable you to truly empty yourself to a degree that I can speak clearly through you to those who desperately need to hear my voice of love, comfort, and acceptance. This time in my church is not meant to be a finishing up of the old story, but the beginning of a new story that will reach the heart of people in a new way. I want to bring out a new kind of fruit in the lives of my children; fruit that comes through pruning and fruit that only multiplies because of the death of a single seed.
— January 14, 2021