Co-Laborers "WITH ness" by Lyn Ten Brink

I have a quote in my Bible, not sure who said it so my apologies to you mystery person, but it is:

“Dynamic Spirituality happens when the context of the gospel slams into the context of every day life.”

Then I have a list of gospel stories where this is true:

Jesus in Peter’s boat catching 2 boats full of fish.  Peter heard Jesus preach all day yet it wasn’t until 2 boats were full of fish (Peter’s everyday life of a fisherman) that Peter saw Jesus for who he was- the Son of God.

You get the idea.

The past year I have been keeping my own list of when the context of the gospels slams into the context of my every day life and one of those moments was at our spring Capernaum gathering in Nashville this past year.   Each division invited a few Capernaum friends who had graduated from Capernaum and were now YL leaders in their community.

GR came with Ann Brown from Omaha, NE.  GR and I first met 3 years prior when he was on work crew at Castaway for a month.  GR had graduated from his Capernaum club and was now a leader on the Capernaum team.  During those few days in Nashville, we ate together, sang together, karaoke together even went boot shopping together…. but it wasn’t until we were sitting next to each other during a teaching time that Jesus slammed into the context of my everyday Capernaum life. 

I was sitting next to GR and Pam Harmon was leading us in devotions and I looked over at GR who sat there with his Bible open and he was taking notes. Slam!  

Instantly, I was so moved by that fact that I was siting and learning WITH GR! My entire Capernaum career I have been leading, teaching, meeting Capernaum friends but never was I learning WITH them.  Never have I been trained WITH them.  GR is whole and a new creation and he is ready to be a co-laborer of the “good news” WITH me.

Jesus trudged his disciples all over the countryside introducing them to a variety of people and teaching the “good news” hoping and anticipating that the scales would fall off his disciples eyes so that they would see each person the way he sees them as whole and new.   I saw my Capernaum friend’s whole and new that day.  There was a scale that had to fall off so I could see the next step in Capernaum of “withness”- co-laboring.

Some of GR’s Notes are now MY notes as a reminder that we are WITH each other as disciples.

“My disability(ability) does not disqualify me from learning about Jesus.”

“What if I was known for serving.”?

“We need to watch and see what God has for us.”

Who do you need to see as a co-laborer?