I hate writing clichés, but I am tempted to use one to introduce this post. July 15th will mark the official three-month date of our departure. The truth is that our lives have changed a lot since we left Ohio almost three months ago, and yet, they are very much the same.
In particular we have encountered a whole new church culture. There are a lot of major differences between a recovery-culture church in rural southern Ohio and a working middle-class church in the Detroit suburbs. The conversations we have with the members of our fellowship here are distinctly different in many ways from those we had at Revolution. They’re not better, not worse, just different, because the people here are at different places in life. Because of the differences in cultures we note that the worship music is different, the preaching is different, and the fellowship is different. Again, not better, not worse, just different. Yet for all of those differences there are many things that are similar. I find myself, for example, regularly counseling people struggling with addictions. In fact in all my counseling cases I am reminded that sin is sin, struggles are common, brokenness is real, and doubt is prevalent. Since having arrived in April my counseling load has been steadily increasing. I am grateful for the opportunity to get to know our people here and speak into their lives. I love being able to share in their joys and bear their burdens, as I know in days ahead they will do the same for me. And that reminds me of another similarity: love.
We were so blessed at Revolution in Portsmouth to have great friendships. We spent years pouring into others and allowing them to pour into us. Krista and I miss chatting with Megan on a weekly basis. I miss teaching Eric, Jon, Dowdy, Jim, Caleb, and Dick in Free Seminary. We miss having the Reeds over after service on Sunday nights. I miss sitting face to face with Brady and Natalie and talking about marriage and life. I miss lunches with Brandon and coffees with Justin. We know of course that it will take time for us to develop deep relationships with the folks here at Cornerstone, but we are already feeling their love for us. Countless people have invited us for dinner, taken me to lunch, and expressed how happy they were that we are here. Such love oozes forth from the congregation as a whole. I anticipate years of mutual joy here at CBC.
We love life in the metro. Krista has taken the kids to splash parks, beaches, malls, and the zoo. We have a growing list of favorite restaurants, a gigantic book store we are looking to hit up, and plans for future days. The kids love the big library. I love the golf courses (though I am terrible at golf). Krista enjoys the countless thrift stores and bargain shops. We of course miss some of our favorite stomping grounds in Portsmouth, but there is a far greater plethora of activity going on in the metro. But the real need of community is still the same.
The fact that we have all these activities and amenities within an arm’s reach here doesn’t negate the reality that we want deep relationships, people who can enjoy those things with us. That was a reality common in Portsmouth. The sometimes seeming “lack of stuff to do” was not nearly as real when we had close friends whom we were spending time with. The more dinner parties we hosted and attended, the more barbecues we went to, the more pool parties who joined in, the less we felt “bored.” And in a metro with tons of stuff to do, you can still feel frustrated. We’ve been reminded of just how important relationships are since we moved here.
We are increasingly becoming a people torn between two cities. We love Portsmouth, and we love the Detroit Metro. We love Revolution and we love Cornerstone. We love our new friends here and our old friends and family there. We are torn. That is as it should be, these two places aren’t that different. The more things change the more they…well you know.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 