At the Mayan – Thoughts on Creativity

Today has been an amazing day at Mosaic!

We had more people on the westside than we’ve ever had! The brand new kids ministry we started just a few months ago was full. The parking lot ran out of spots. The place was packed! In Pasadena, at Inland, and now at the Mayan, we are meeting so many new guests and seeing the familiar faces of those who brought them.

New guests were getting connected and receiving a free copy of Erwin’s newest book – Soul Cravings, an introspective look at the intrinsic needs within that point us towards God. Our connection team was out in full force meeting, greeting, and feeding the crowd. The musicians sounded great. The dancers danced leaving us in awe. The films made us think and made us laugh. Even after a rough week (he had been sick fighting a cold), Erwin shared a powerful and authentic look at the cravings within. The tech team guided us through the experience on the screen. The painter inspired. After the gathering, the ministry leaders invited people into serving and into small groups/book clubs. The DJ mixed his music. Over time, the crowd was becoming a community.

We were firing on all cylinders.

I am always grateful for the way our community invites us into God’s presence on Sundays, but having friends we had invited sitting next to us made this experience that much sweeter. I kept looking to see if our friends were connected and engaged. I am so grateful that so many talented people choose to invest their time and energy in serving so many people, most of whom will never say “thank you.”

Of all the highlights from the morning, the greatest compliment came during lunch with our friends. They have been looking for a church in which they truly could connect for years. They had been a part of a church in which the place imploded after the pastor’s failures. To hear them comment about how warm and inviting our community was for them after so many bad church experiences filled me with such gratitude.

As a community we truly are a group of broken and fragmented people who when brought together by Christ make a beautiful picture. We hurt each other. We make mistakes. Broken people leave cuts. At the same time, we strive to forgive. We make each other better.

No matter how many amazing things happen on stage or happen in the courtyard, the most important contribution we can make to the lives of those God brings into our sphere of influence is love – even our imperfect version of love can help people connect to the perfect love of God.

As my good friend Scott Long once said, “At Mosaic, the gatherings on Sunday are simply an advertisement for our community.”

We have so much room to grow and to improve. I have so much to learn as a leader and as a servant. In spite of all this, I caught a glimpse today of the most creative thing we can do as a community – create a place to belong.