Today was launch day, the very first public service of Mosaic Church Albuquerque. And what a glorious day it was! 

  The sunrise on launch day was spectacular, as I was getting ready this morning I looked out my back patio and marveled at how beams of light were shooting down out of the clouds. As I drove to church this morning alone, since my husband had left earlier to help with the setup, I noticed a large amount of balloons in the air, looking out over the city of Albuquerque it was almost like a Balloon Fiesta day. I thought it delightful that so many balloons were joining in on our "launch" day with such a beautiful display of colors.

  I and others have prayed and prayed and prayed some more for this day, for the service, the pastor, his family, the music guys, the setup and tear down guys, the greeting team, the pastoral care team and for everyone involved in launching this new church as well as all those who will be drawn to her doors. As Launch Day dawned this morning  I was excited and optimistic but trying to keep my hopes reasonable, after all this was only day 1 in the life of this brand new church.

  I should have known better, after all how many times in the past has God not only met my expectations but totally exceeded them? I have long since lost count. Today was no different. The sanctuary was filled with people!

  The music was uplifting and what a marvelous thing to hear all those voices singing His praise together as one! I felt such a love for all of these beautiful people that God in His good grace had drawn to this place, this new church. Many of them I knew from the launch team but there were a whole lot that I did not know, but I loved them. Looking across at that sea of faces, it truly was a beautiful mosaic of souls. My heart also filled with love for our great God and His incredible blessings!

 Pastor Adam preached a powerful message, from the gospel of Mark, Chapter 1, verses 14-20, the beginning of what promises to be an exciting and powerful series called The Way of Paradox: Following the Right-Side Up King in an Upside Down World. He spoke of how following Christ demands our all but also changes us completely. The gospel was proclaimed and I am excited to begin this series and eagerly looking forward to the next message.

  We had our first communion together and that too was a beautiful ceremony of grace, watching the various faces as they came up to take the elements was a great blessing. I felt the Lord's love for His people as each one came up to take the bread and the cup.

 The last song was beautiful as we sang a doxology together, but was sad, because I really didn't want to leave. We could easily have went straight in to next weeks service and I would have been fine. Sort of like Peter up on that hill with Jesus, he wanted to just throw up some tents and just stay right there, to bask in the glory of it all. But like Peter we are called to come down off the hill and walk out our faith right here in the world. I can honestly say that after this beautiful and uplifting service I feel well equipped to do just that.

  God has brought a lot of beautiful souls to Mosaic, the ones I have thus far come to know are already dear to me, and I look forward to getting to know everyone. God is making something awesome in bringing all of these people to this place to gather together and worship Him and proclaim Him to our city. What a great start to this wonderful collection of the broken coming together to form something beautiful!

 What an exciting time!

 At the foot of the snow capped mountain,

 By the river along the Bosque

 At a school turned into Sanctuary

 The broken pieces come,

 Some are worn

 Some have sharp edges

 A multitude of colored souls

 Each unique

 Each beautiful to the Creator

 They come together in His hand

 Laid out in rows

 Voices lifted together

 In praise to the King

 A beautiful mosaic

 Broken made beautiful.

 “Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”  

   A few months ago I and my beloved became part of a small group of people who are assisting to launch a brand new church on the west side of Albuquerque. The church will be called Mosaic Church. I was given a beautiful red t-shirt that says " Bringing the beauty of Jesus Christ and His gospel to the broken places in our lives." That's what Mosaic Church's vision is. God taking the broken and forming them together into something beautiful, something glorious, something He will use to bless the community.

   We have been attending church plant meetings where we have discussed the various identifying factors that we want Mosaic to be seen as. The central part of the vision is the gospel of Jesus Christ, that is the key to Mosaic, that is how Mosaic will be known, as a church who portrays the gospel not only in the services but also in the community. Many words were offered up in our meetings, words that define how a church ought to be. One of them jumped out at me. It's the word REAL, or authentic. So with that in mind I shall leap out in faith, in an attempt to be real. Being real can hurt, because sometimes it impacts our image, that thing we grasp so tightly to, that thing that other's use to define us. But today, let's be brave, let's be real.

  I am in my fifties, and have been attending church for sometime. I have it fairly easy in that respect because the church I attend is way over on the far end of Albuquerque and it's a long drive. Work schedules do not permit me to take part in mid week activities. And I can easily use a multitude of excuses for not attending. So being a member has really been not much more than praying for my pastor and the leaders, giving my tithes and attending Sunday worship service. There, I confessed it, I have been a lazy church member for some time.

 Now I find myself caught up in this group of people, excited people, energetic people. They want to serve the community, they want to go out and attend events wearing shirts that proclaim the gospel, sharing the gospel in graceful and thoughtful ways and they radiate (to me at least) youth and life and vibrancy. That alone is pretty scary for a introvert female in her fifities.

  I'm not certain I can keep up with them, not certain if I can be of use to this vibrant young church full of youth and vigor. But I feel God calling me, and if He is calling me, then I trust He will supply all that is needed.

  So I sit down, strap in, and hold on...this ride is about to take off, it looks scary, but I expect it will be exciting, and beautiful......go Mosaic!

Join us for our first public service on Jan 10th 2016!

       With that being said, I think it is so very important that we love one another. Love one another despite our individual brokenness. This life we are in is not a contest, although many of us often live it like it is one. We are not in competition with each other, it's not about who is the most holy, who is the most beautiful, who is the most successful. It's about how we love one another, or how we don't.

     I have seen firsthand how God can take the broken and make it into something beautiful. A new church is forming here in my area, and the name of the church is Mosaic and their motto is "brokenness made beautiful". I really love that, it resonates with me, resonates somewhere deep down, in all the broken places.

   It's an awesome thing when God brings together the broken and molds them into something beautiful. I have seen Him do it on more than one occasion. Sometimes it is via a church, sometimes it is just a group of people working together, and sometimes it's via social media like a Facebook page or group, or a social movement. Broken people coming together, mending into a beautiful mosaic.

  Sadly I have also seen these beautiful things shaken up by the broken. When we cling to things as if they belong to us, when we take hold of the good and call it our own and seek to possess it and control it, and take credit for it. All the good that comes from the broken being mended together is God's good. It's His work, not ours. When we seek to possess and claim that which is God's we end up hurting others. Pieces of the mosaic rejected by other pieces of the mosaic, pieces pushed away, pieces ignored and forgotten. In our own strength we often mess up the masterpiece. Thankfully God is ever present and takes even our messed up ways and turns them to good.

  Be the piece of the mosaic that God has called you to be. Be joyful as He takes the various pieces and forms then into a beautiful picture of grace and love. Don't try and fit in pieces yourself, nor remove pieces that you think do not belong, nor limit the placement of the pieces. That is God's part of the work, yours is to shine where He placed you.

 Remember that in every mosaic one thing is the same always. Each piece is broken, each piece has it's own distinct qualities. Alone they are not much to speak of, but placed together, in the configuration of God's choosing they become a masterpiece of color and vibrancy. Love every piece, love it like a brother or a sister. Recognize that we are all broken, but God loves us in our brokenness and in Him and Him alone we find wholeness and rest. Be still in His hands and allow Him to form the beauty.

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. "

"And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."

"If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."

"We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. "

"Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ... "

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Brokenness made beautiful............ I really like that. (Thank you Mosaic Church! Love that concept!)

Brokenness made whole.

The wholeness comes as we learn to love Him and as we love one another.

"“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”
― Vance Havner

“Brokenness to redemption, where mercy and grace kiss both sides of our face.
Brokenness where we are split open.
Redemption where God knits us back together.
Mercy when we don't get the punishment we do deserve.
Grace when we get the lavish love gifts we don't deserve.
So here we are.”
― Lysa TerKeurst