On the outside looking in

I am enjoying my visit to the states with North Point Community Church. This is a partner of Risttee in the Atlanta area. We have had a great conference and now are enjoying a quiet and relaxing time in the mountains of North Carolina at the Billy Graham Training Center. Its a beautiful retreat center in the mountains with big fire places and free ice cream, does it get any better.

Anyway, this however has been the toughest time. I think I am missing my wife and family a ton today. I am so lost with out them. Here are lots of couples and I feel like something is wrong. Its been also tough because at this conference is mainly people that are from their various countries and I am the only American. I have been reminded several times that I am not an Estonian by several people. I think at first, of course I am not Estonian, then others have said your not really an American. I think, yeah that's kinda true as well, after 5+ years in EST, I am becoming more Estonian and less American. So this leaves me feeling like I shouldn't really be here. Put that together with a guy who gets tears in his eyes when he thinks about home and today isn't my favorite day. I just talked to Reena and Oskar knows that I am away and I was on a plane. He says over and over, Da Da, plane, Da Da plane. I think I almost lost it. If I could go home right now I would, skip the rest of the program and hold my little boys and get that feeling back that you in the right place, what a wonderful feeling.

This got me to thinking. Often we talk about being a "Kirik Teistele" or "Church for Others" This is a great motto, one that I really like, but the question is, how do we make people welcome? I started to think about that as I walk around some of the trails. I really think that it goes so far beyond the church service, far beyond having greeters at the door. What I think is at the heart of making someone feel welcome is the thought, "we are the same". Not looking towards all the things that separate us, but the things that unite us, or that we have in common. After hearing and seeing this for a few days I feel God doing a great work in my life. Often there is talk about Christians and Non Christians and Christians want to distance themselves in the name of holiness, but I am afraid this undoes what Jesus did on the cross. After all, I Christians is just a person who was lucky enough to meet Christ, it wasn't anything that we have done on our own, but rather what he has done for us.

I want Risttee to be a place where people are welcome. Where Christians are not arrogant, but the most humble people in the world. Where Jesus is the center, not the works of man. Where we don't call out people based on their color, race, location, status, income or other things, but a place where we realize we are all in this crazy thing called life, we are all struggling to make it and we all need a friend to make it through. That's the kind of church I think the world would find appealing, the kind of community we all yearn to be part of, one where we are accepted as we are and our differences are minimized.

The other thing I learn, don't go without your loved ones, try like the devil to take them with you. My wife and I get to spend little time together and I won't make this mistake again of leaving her behind again. Two closing thoughts, Risttee can be a place that makes people feel welcome, if we have the right state of mind and keep your loved ones close, these too precious to leave them behind.