I recently came across a book for teenagers called Do Hard Things. I didn’t read it (personal rule: after one’s hairline begins receding one should not read books written for teens), but the book grabbed me all the same. The premise is simply this: *We were made by a big God to do big things in God’s big world, so it’s a tragic mistake to live small.* The problem, though, is that living big is not safe, nor is it is easy. But it’s better. So do hard things. (Can I get an amen?)

You have chosen to be a church planter. And not just that – you have chosen to be part of a church community that wants to reach out to the least reached group of people in our city (young adults) and minister to the needy in our own city (not downtown). And that joyfully gives away large sums of money to care for orphans in Africa and Mexico, help the world’s poorest people develop businesses, and educate pastors to start churches in a country most of us will never visit. And you are part of a church that is actively praying for the privilege of sacrificing to see a new church started in 2010 in Vegas! And that is crazy enough to believe that God will use us in seeing 1000 churches planted around the world before we’re done!

You could be doing something easier, but you’re not. You are doing hard things, and I commend you for it. (And seriously, do you want to go to your grave knowing you lived a comfortable Christian life or knowing that you changed the world?)

January is vision month, and beginning with this weekend, we will be talking about doing big, gnarly, important, hard things. Don’t miss it!

Love you guys, and love doing life with you -

Tim
Mt 6:33