Many times in my journey of ministry in the first two years, I started asking myself questions like,
Why is this not like I expected?
Why do I feel like I don’t fit in?
Why do I feel like a black sheep?
Do I belong here?
Have you ever asked those questions? If so, hold on. I had been asking them for some time. This was the third step or “Third Tree” in my journey. (For proper context, read the last two posts).
I started to question what I was doing and how I was doing it. I had been with two churches and as great as they were, I just didn’t seem to fit like a glove. I took the next six months off and began to seek God to find out what was next. During that six months, I would meet a woman who would later become my wife!
Through that 6 months, I knew something great was brewing. After learning so many lesson in my “Second Tree” journey, my third journey took me to Carlsbad, Ca. I took the opportunity after an invite from Aaron Jayne to be the Intern Pastor at Coastline Church. This was the first time I felt like I FIT where I was. I stayed with a great family that was more than gracious to me during my stay.
Coastline Church has one of the greatest church cultures that I’ve ever been a part of.
Every weekend it’s as if they are preparing for 30,000 people to attend even though they have less than 1,000. Tim Shaw and the worship team play like they’re recording a live album every Sunday. There’s never a weekend that goes by that passion, excellence, and creativity aren’t stretched. They always go above and beyond the week before to get better than they were previously.
Coastline also is extremely generous. The way Pastor Aaron speaks on tithing and giving is incredible. Pastors, if you want to learn how to clearly and effectively teach on both of those subjects, learn from the best in Aaron.
Throughout the seasons of not knowing why I did NOT fit and knowing there was somewhere that I DID fit, I stayed the course. Are you struggling with not fitting where you are? Don’t worry, the place you desire is coming. Don’t leave too fast! Learn the lessons you need to learn! There are things that you learn when are UNcomfortable that you cannot learn when you are in a place of comfort. Enjoy the places that are not comfortable, they’ll be your biggest seasons of learning who you are meant to be. When you don’t get your way, when things are done differently than what you want…those are the proving grounds.
I never would have enjoyed Coastline as much as I did, had I not gone through the previous seasons that I did. I’m forever grateful for the culture of Coastline Church and what it did for me.
To find out more about Coastline Church visit: http://www.CoastlineChurch.org
To learn more about their Senior Pastor on twitter: @aaronjayne
David Urzi 