04/08/2025
This past weekend, Laura and I had the privilege of returning to the church we helped start in 2002, Journey Christian Church in New Orleans. The church is thriving, healthy, and strong, and I’m grateful for its lead pastor, Wimbai Mutonono, and for its elders, who reflect the heart of our Chief Shepherd.
As we were flying home, I thought about those days 23 years ago when Laura and I moved to New Orleans with our three young children (five, three, and one at the time). What compelled us and others to leave what was comfortable and known for what was uncomfortable and unknown?
As I looked around Journey’s worship center this past Sunday, I observed a multitude of young adults and young families who have come together on mission for Jesus in a hard place to survive, let alone thrive, in ministry. Why? Why not be a part of a comfortable church where you can sip on your mocha latte and listen to the hottest band in town and the coolest preacher wearing his $1,500 sneakers?
Recently, I came across a similar question raised by American journalist Sebastian Junger. He covered the war in Afghanistan for over a decade and noticed a strange phenomenon. Many soldiers would return home after their tour of duty and then voluntarily reenlist for a second, third, and sometimes fourth deployment. He started to ask, “Why is it that, for so many, war seems to feel better than peace, and a hard life in the barracks among comrades is preferable to a cozy life in the suburbs among friends and family?” (Tribe, 12)
His conclusion is compelling. He discovered that people long for a sense of community on mission more than a sense of individualism in comfort. This counterculture experience draws out the human heart more than comfort, wealth, ease, or social “progress” ever could.
Twenty-three years ago, Laura and I embraced a community of Christ-followers on mission together, even though it wasn’t … comfortable. And today, in a different context and community, we strive to do the same thing.
How do you keep yourself from meandering into the mundane? How do you resist the natural ease into entropy, where you gradually slide into slumber? According to Jesus, the core of the solution is living for that which is worth dying for with others who share the same compelling mission.
Mark recorded that when Jesus selected the apostles, “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14). To be WITH Jesus precedes being SENT OUT by Jesus. Following Jesus’ example, let’s be sure we have community and calling more than comfort and convenience.
Who are your traveling companions that journey with you on mission for Jesus?
