jayhardwick.com

Love/Hate Part 1

Right now, I have a love/hate relationship with downtown Columbia.

Love...the Starbucks in the Vista. Old building. Original hardwood floors. Great vibe. FREE WIRELESS!

Hate...parking meters In fact, mine is about to run out. A quarter only gets you 20 minutes. WHAA?

Digging Out of the Hole

After reading unChristian, I have been sharing a lot of the negative perceptions outsiders have about Christians. Most people I share with are not shocked by the words used - antihomosexual, judgmental, hypocritical, out of touch with reality. What does shock them is the overwhelming numbers who said these things - 91% said the first thought that comes to mind is antihomosexual. No grace, love, truth, service, or Jesus to be found.

And what's worse, outsiders didn't form these opinions in a vacuum - many of them have been or are friends with Christians and many have had some experience with a church. They formed their perceptions off of what they saw up close combined with what they've seen on TV.

We've dug quite a hole for ourselves. The question, then, is "how do we dig out?"

Our natural response is a sermon series or bible study curriculum or 40 Days of Digging Out of a Hole. :-) But I'm not sure we can teach our way out of this hole. I think we have to love our way out of it.

I saw this quote on the CatalystSpace blog:
"Apologetical arguments are not working. We need life-agetics."

Andy Stanley has said that Christianity is not intuitive - you can't argue someone into faith. If you could, then it wouldn't be faith. In the same way, we can't argue our way out of this hole. It seems to me that all we can do is apologize and each do our part to love our neighbors, give our lives away, and quit getting mad at outsiders who want nothing to do with us.

What Are You Up To?

This weekend, tragedy struck the campuses of the University of South Carolina and Clemson University as 7 students were killed in a beach house fire on Ocean Isle Beach, NC. 6 of the students were from USC and 1 was from Clemson. Their names have yet to be released, but the families have been notified.

Obviously, as word spread, students who knew those who were killed and the others who miraculously escaped the house were overcome with fear, emotion, questions, and deep grief. Even those of us who did not know the students are overcome with questions like, "God, how could You allow this?" Fair question.

Over the past couple of weeks, God has taught me to ask a new question that by no means is meant to belittle the situation, but rather a means of finding hope and evidence of His presence, even in tragedy.

The new question:"God, what are you up to?"

In the tragic death of our friend in Kentucky, we saw God at work. In the unbelievably tragic deaths of these college students, we will see God at work. Look what He is already up to at Midtown Fellowship, a church strategically located in downtown Columbia that God is using to reach hundreds of USC students.

There is much to grieve in this tragedy - lives lost, futures lost, friends lost, and sons and daughters lost. But maybe, just maybe, many will find rescue in Jesus. I don't even pretend to have answers for why God allows these things to happen. But, I know He allowed His Son to be beaten beyond the point of recognition, to be nailed to a cross where His blood poured profusely, and to die a criminal's death in spite of His absolute innocence.

But out of that tragedy, God brought about the greatest victory ever recorded. The same One who was beaten, nailed, and dead came ALIVE! And because of His death and resurrection, rescue is available to you and me. The Old Testament says, "Rescue is coming!" The gospels and the rest of the New Testament say, "Rescue is here and His name is Jesus!"

"Father, would you send Rescue to the campuses of USC and Clemson? Would you send Rescue to the families and friends of the victims? Would you send Rescue to all of us who hear of this and wonder what you are doing. Father, help us to trust you - admittedly, it's hard sometimes. Help us to see that you are good. That you are always at work to send Rescue into our lives. May it be so today, for your glory and your Kingdom. Amen."

Friday Five

After a two week hiatus, The Five is back...

1. Need to figure out where the best wireless hotspots are in Columbia. I drove around our side of town for a while today and came up empty. Requirements: good coffee, good vibe, windows, good music playing, and free wi-fi. Anybody got any ideas?

2. Even if you had no idea that Carolina lost to Vandy last Saturday, you'd know something bad happened just by hanging out in Columbia this week. Lots of long faces and complaining Monday Morning Quarterbacks. But, I guess it's a sign that the culture is changing - a few years ago, losses to Vandy were hardly a surprise. Tomorrow is a biggie at Tennessee. Not sure what to think or expect right now.

3. Now that we have fully and officially settled in Columbia, we can start connecting with some of the people God has crossed our paths with over the last several weeks. Seems like everywhere I/we go, we either run into someone we knew way back when or we run into someone who knows someone who lives in Columbia. Pretty cool to think that these people have no idea what they may be a part of!

4. Deadly Viper Character Assassins is kickin' my tail right now. I need to work on some ninja skills to battle these assassins a little more decisively. Challenging Content + Beautiful Design = Great Book.

5. Funniest thing I read all week: from my new friend Jamey Johnson's blog - "Yo mama so poor she was in K-Mart with a box of Hefty bags. I said, "What ya doin'?" She said, "Buying luggage."

We're Closing

Today is the day. At 2:00 pm this afternoon, we'll sign over our first house to new owners. Weird feeling...much excitement about what God is doing in Columbia and that we get to be a part of it mixed with big-time sadness because we love Greenville, this was our first house, both of our girls will remember this as their first house, we love both churches we were a part of in Greenville, and the list goes on and on.

But I will admit this...selling a house is a HEADACHE! We're blessed that our house sold in under 60 days and we had incredible realtors. But man, it was a pain in the neck. I think the people that really cause all the problems are inspectors. They get paid to find stuff that's wrong. If they find nothing wrong, they have no point, I guess. Sorry to all you inspectors out there following this blog...

So, I guess we can say that today ends the Greenville chapter and officially begins the Columbia Part 2 Chapter for the Hardwick fam! :-)

What If...

Got to spend the afternoon with a guy who I have history with, but have never really had a conversation with.

When I was born, Reggie McNeal had to find a replacement pianist for my mom. In another life, Reggie was a music minister (don't tell him I told you) and my mom was the pianist at the first church where he served. We've met a time or two through the years, but never to sit down and have a conversation.

So, we convened yesterday with some really hot coffee and a rain storm outside and quickly got to the big question: "What if..."

Our paths are similar - Reggie grew up in Columbia, moved away, and God called him back. My story is the same, but a few years removed. So cool to sit down with someone who literally has walked the streets of Columbia begging God to sweep this city. Before we knew it, 2 hours had flown by and our heads were spinning at the possibilities of how God could move in this great city.

To most, Columbia looks like a lost cause. Maybe it is. But there are some...and I'm finding out there are more than I thought...who believe that Columbia is like Ninevah - a great city with amazing potential to influence culture far beyond its city limits, but has yet to realize any of it.

God looked at Ninevah and called it great. I would have called it lost. Some call Columbia a wasteland. Increasingly, God is causing me, along with many others, to call it great. Yesterday was another stoke in the fire.

Good Music & That's Quotable: Ben Harper

Lovin' Ben Harper's new album, Lifeline. Perfect mix of soul, funk, blues, and a bunch of other stuff. Has a raw, jam-session feel...because that's what it was. Harper and his band, The Innocent Criminals, recorded the album on an analog track with no use of computers in just 7 days. I can't stop listening to "Fight Outta You," "In the Colors," "Say You Will," and "Put It On Me."

Harper is a fabulous songwriter and two lines on the album spoke deep into my soul, I guess because they speak directly to what God is doing in my heart these days.

From "Fight Outta You:" "I'd rather find out who you are, than who you're not." Message: surprise people with impeccable character, not carefully positioned masks.

From "Heart of Matters:" "You can't just say 'I love you;' You have to live 'I love you.'" Speaks for itself.

I've got a feeling Lifeline will be in my music rotation for quite a while.

Party People in Cola Town

Looking forward to speaking on Tuesday night at Columbia Metro, a gathering for young professionals in downtown Columbia. I'll be there on October 30 as well. And...no pressure on me...Stuart Hall is following me the first of November and rumor has it that Dave Edwards, Mr. Metro/722 speaker man, might be coming in soon as well. Hmmm...guess who doesn't belong? :-)

Should be a fun night. If you're around downtown, come check it out at 7:00 pm at first baptist.

My Next Thirty Years

Wow, thank you for your prayers last week. Thanks especially to all you who emailed - you blew my mind! Your prayers were vital last week for the Wonderlich family and they were certainly felt.

Friday's visitation and Saturday's services were like none other I have ever been a part of. Hundreds upon hundreds of people gathered - maybe thousands - to celebrate Roger's life - and Saturday afternoon was an all out celebration! God was honored and He is on the move in Shelbyville, KY. Continue to pray for the family.

On the way home Saturday night/Sunday morning, I had a lot of time to think and after Lara Beth had a little nap, we had a lot of time to talk about what I had been thinking about. She is so patient with me and so supportive of my crazy ideas and "what if" scenarios.

Somewhere along our journey, I heard Tim McGraw's song My Next Thirty Years. I turn 30 next year. So, the planner in me is screaming, "what's the 30 year plan?" I didn't really have a plan for the first 30, but I have a strong sense that God is calling me to write out a plan for my next thirty years. Crazy, I know. But I sense it. God has given me much to steward - a family, gifts, experiences, money, mentors, people I am mentoring, friends - and I know He will hold me accountable for how well I steward it. And, as we all were reminded of last week, we do not have a clue how long we have to do what God wants us to on this earth. Our move to Columbia is halftime - now it's time to get fired up and prepared for the second half.

So, I'm dreaming, praying, writing, listening...and bouncing it all off Lara Beth! :-)

Could Use Your Prayers

We're about to pack up the car and head to Kentucky.  The family of our friend who passed away asked me to do the funeral.  It's a huge honor and a huge responsibility.

Continue to pray for the Wonderlich family.  They are grieving, obviously, yet their resolve and trust in their Heavenly Father is remarkable.

Pray for our God who is mighty to save to reveal Himself to people who are far from Him.  Hundreds upon hundreds of people will attend the services to celebrate Roger's life.  The reason Roger's life had such substance and impact is because of Jesus living in and through Him - Roger's light was bright...and we are believing that in celebrating the light of Jesus in Roger, many will surrender their lives to Jesus.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts and words and to use my voicebox to communicate His matchless truth, grace, and glory.

Thanks to you all - hopefully, I can give you updates along the way.