We will miss everything about Echo. We are praying for everyone as you move forward into all that God has for this church. We can’t thank you all enough for the many many kind words, prayers and support. As of today, we are not sure what’s next for us. Oh how I wish I had a Plan B! LOL I used to be a roofer so maybe I could pound nails again? Nah. My back is too old now. All kidding aside, we know that the Lord is with us. Even though this time is really tough (for many) Jesus goes before us. Please stay in touch. Bless you all. Below is the statement I read to our amazing church this morning.

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Dear Echo Church Family,

It’s with a very heavy heart that I share with you that today will be my last Sunday serving as the campus pastor at Echo Community Church.  Through a series of events over the past several months, that has resulted in a realization of differences, both personally and in ministry vision, I felt led, through prayer & counsel, to resign from the leadership team at Trinity Assembly of God, after 12 years of service.  Additionally I requested, along with several leaders from Echo, that Echo would be planted as an independent church and that I would be allowed to serve as the senior Pastor. The leadership at Trinity prayerfully and carefully considered all of the options and have decided to keep Echo as a multisite campus under Trinity as part of the 20/20 Vision to reach Baltimore. While this was not my hope, I honor and submit to this decision. Please know that there have been no “scandalous” issues such as immorality, unethical behavior or heresy on behalf of myself, my wife Helen or anyone else in leadership.

To Pastor George, the Trinity Elders and the Staff at Trinity I say thank you. These twelve years of ministry have been amazing. I can’t thank you all enough for your friendship, for helping to shape me as a leader and for the many opportunities to see ministry dreams come true.

To those who have come to Christ since we launched Echo Community Church, we encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus who is “the Author and perfecter of your faith”. You are the reason this church exists. Think about that. God created this place for you to find Christ, find hope and follow the ways, the message and the life of Jesus. God has an amazing and wonderful plan for your life, so continue to grow in your faith and keep Jesus at the center of your life.

To those who have given church another try after some time away, we encourage you as well to stay true to Jesus. Through this difficult season of transition, may you continue to love the Lord and His Bride, the beautiful church of Christ expressed here at Echo and at Trinity.

To those who began this journey with us in September of 2010, we say thank you. You will forever be known as the “launch team” of Echo and that’s what you did. God used you to launch a wonderful expression of the Kingdom. Thank you for pouring your whole lives into this work.

To every volunteer here at Echo, thank you for your love, support, hard work and sacrifice that have been used by the Lord to touch many lives. From setting up on bitterly cold days, to hanging door hangers, to volunteering at Movies in the Park, you have been, as scripture says, the “beautiful feet that bring Good News”. Thank you for embracing the vision of a church that could reach the unreached, the unchurched, the dechurched and the marginalized. Thank you for creating a place and culture where everyone is welcomed, loved and accepted. You all serve with a love and passion that reflects your love for Christ.

To every Echo Core Leader, thank you. Your excellent leadership in every ministry here at Echo is breathtaking. I’ve had the privilege of seeing each of you grow and flourish in your ministry and God has used you all in great ways. Your love for Jesus is seen in everything you do and your passion for Him is truly contagious.

To everyone who calls Echo your church home, thank you. Thanks for letting me be your campus pastor and speak into your life. Though this is a very difficult time for all of us, I hope and pray that our friendships will remain. Above all remember this: We follow Jesus and Jesus is always good. I’ve said it many times from this platform that my favorite verse is John 10:10 in which Jesus said that He “came to give us life”. May all of you continue to experience the amazing, incredible, transformational life that Jesus offers each of us.

With much love and affection,
Kelly Harrison

I haven’t seen the New Muppets movie yet but its debut triggers memories of the old Muppets show on TV. I can remember several nights eating popcorn & watching the Muppets. Remember Jiffy Pop popped on the stove? You would stand there moving the foil pan back and forth until at last it would pop and create a giant foil bubble of delicious corn goodness.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

Jesus ~ Matthew 23:27-28

Like a lot of people, I’ve been following the news from the Middle East and North Africa. What has been termed the “Arab Spring” is now turning into the “Arab Fall” (as in the season of Autumn) as we head into November. It started in Tunisia, then Egypt and then a wild fire of protests and even some regime changes in places like Syria, UAE, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran and recently in Libya with the overthrow and death of Muammar Gaddafi.

Here’s an awesome website with an interactive timeline of the events so far.

For months we’ve been watching the news stories of people taking to the streets in protest to oppressive, corrupt governments and hundreds have lost their lives standing up for freedom. Now, I’m not a political expert by any means & it remains to be seen if the unrest and changes in that region of the world will be positive or negative. Will these countries change and allow true freedom to flourish or will another evil and oppressive government rise? We just don’t know yet. Some report that all the upheaval in the middle east and africa was sparked off by one young man named Mohamed Bouazizi, who set fire to himself in protest after police confiscated the fruit and vegetables he was selling from a street stall. His friends, family and beyond took to the streets and let their voices be heard and that was the tipping point for many.

Here’s what I’m struck with: The powerful inner yearning for freedom. People in these violent hotbed countries are courageously putting everything on the line to fight for freedom. Sometimes armed with nothing more than sticks and rocks, these people, most of whom are young adults, are willing to risk their lives to oust oppression. There’s something in all of us that screams out when things aren’t fair. When our innate sense of justice and freedom is threatened or worse, taken away, something inside cries foul.

Personally I think that inner stamp of freedom comes from God. He didn’t make us with the capacity to cope with being oppressed and controlled. He created us to live willingly to worship and follow Him and to live in love and harmony with others. When that’s all messed with, we kinda go nuts. We fight, we become enraged, we protest, we even set fire to ourselves. It’s as if we just can’t handle the suffocating hand of oppression. That’s why Jesus emphasized freedom and it’s why I believe only He can truly deliver it. He is after all the “Prince of Peace”.

Now, I don’t know why that kid decided to streak. Maybe he lost a bet or he was triple-dog-dared. Maybe he was high on crack. I have no idea. But all I know is that he drew a lot of attention and none of it was good. In fact, Maryland law is such that if you steak and get caught, you’re pegged as a sex offender. Which means that this kid, who probably thought this was an innocent prank, would have had to live for a very long time with a very bad label attached to him if he was caught.

In a spiritual sense, I don’t ever want to be guilty of “spiritual streaking”. (Stop laughing.) Follow me here. Don’t we Christians sometimes do things just to be seen? We pray a certain way, we talk a certain way, we even serve in certain ways to gain accolades or status or popularity or position. We put on the Christian face and speak Christianese in front of the Pastor, but then act differently around others. Like the Emperor and his “new clothes”, we fool ourselves into thinking we are better, smarter or more important than we ought to. All the while it’s like we’re running down the road naked…with just our socks on.

Jesus talked about this when He taught about prayer. He taught that humility is not an option or emotion. It’s a way of life. It’s the way of life.

Matthew 6:5-13 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.

Some of you may have heard that this Saturday (July 23rd) Kelly and I (Helen) will be traveling to Seoul, South Korea. This incredible opportunity came unexpectedly and I really see it as a blessing from the Lord. Many of you know that I was adopted through a miraculous event from Korea in 1973 when I was about 13 months old. I was adopted by two awesome parents who loved and raised me. Of course, I’ve always wondered about my Korean family. Who they are, where they are now, etc. I was given many photos and documents by my adopted parents several years ago and have looked at them often. In the back of my mind, I’ve always dreamed of going back to Korea, even if just to see the sites, eat the food and get to know my birth country better.

In 2007 I was blessed with a job at Towson State University as the Administrator of the Computer Science and Technology Department. I work with wonderful people! This past December, I was offered an opportunity to travel to Korea to visit Soongsil University…all expenses paid! I’ve helped with hosting students in a cohort program at Soongsil here at Towson for a couple of years and the school wanted to bring me over to see the campus and visit with the students again. I even get to take my hubby along with me (we paid for his airfare)!

This is such a great opportunity and one that I thank the Lord for. One of our professors already contacted a woman who works for the government in the neighborhood where I was born. She is doing some research and may have information about some of my family members. I don’t have any expectations beyond going and seeing my homeland. If I get to meet a family member or two that would be even better. But I’ve realized over the years that I am complete. The Lord has blessed me with incredible parents and a wonderful family of my own. Who knows what next week will hold, but we are looking forward to the adventure!
Helen

Trimming out my current house has proven that my walls are, well, crooked. Nothing reveals flaws in the walls quit like trim work. Your miter saw can cut 45degree angles with laser precision, but if the wall is out of alignment, your trim won’t match up and there will be cracks and spaces. Ugh! Oh well. I can’t fix the walls. Nail it up. “Caulking covers a multitude of mistakes”.

Same for us. I can’t fix my crooked walls. The world can’t fix my walls. But we still try to trim out our lives with all the usual trappings. Relationships, careers, degrees, stuff. But when those things are laid against our true selves, cracks are revealed. Gaps. Spaces. I know, I can just cover it with caulk. Fill in the gaps with my own effort. My own religious duty or hard work or people pleasing. But the problem is that the walls remain crooked. The trim is still imperfect.

What we need is a master carpenter. One who can come in and straighten our walls. Perfect plum lines. Everything in square. True, some things might have to be moved. It might be painful. We might get dirty. But in the end, what a beautiful house we will be.

Erik Weihenmayer did something I’ve only dreamed of doing. He summited Mt. Everest. Yeah I know, many people have. So why single him out? Well, for starters, over 200 people have died trying to climb Everest since 1990. The mountain is the tallest in the world at 29,028 feet, or 5 and a half miles above sea level. This is equivalent to the size of almost 20 Empire State Buildings. But that’s not what makes Erik Weihenmayer impressive. What makes him stand out is that he is completely blind. He’s first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on May 25, 2001. When asked about how he overcame this “limitation”, Erik said “You don’t just deal with adversity. You use it to propel you forward.” He also joked one time and said “Ropes became my best friend.”

Do you ever feel like your climbing blind? Like the odds are stacked against you and the path is unclear? Every climber, sighted or not, will tell you that one of the most critical things you must have to summit Everest are ropes. Lots of them. They serve two primary purposes. One, they are anchored into the mountain and will save you from a fall to your death. Two, they act as guides. When you’re above 25,000 feet, the air is thin, the weather crazy and your body starts to shut down. Mistakes up there don’t result in a bruised shin or a stubbed toe. They result in death. So ropes are critical, especially if you’re blind.

I’ve found that God is the great rope of life. He’s anchored to a greater reality then I presently know. In fact He IS the anchor. While “hooked on” to Him, I cant fall. I may stumble, but I won’t plummet. He’s also my guide. I often can’t see where I’m going. I could unhook and attempt to trek my own route, but at best I’d end up way off course and miss the summit. At worse, I’d step off a cliff and drop 1,000 feet. Either way, if I’m not connected to the great Guide, I’d miss the absolute thrill of summiting the highest peek in the world. So, fellow traveler, if you feel like a blind climber, hook on! He’ll take you to the top!

Psalm 37:23 (ESV)
The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;

Upper case…lower case. Majoring on a minor. It’s what makes companies stall and some churches stale and some families sink. Desk name plates, carpet color, song selection, hair styles, titles, thee vs. you, A+ vs. A-, …upper case or lower case?! Majoring on minors. I think its what we do when we get bored or full of ourselves. It’s like we have nothing better to do than to examine, reexamine and then rereexamine. “Hey look guys, I found a little tiny issue. It’s probably nothing, but since we have nothing better to do, let’s make it a huge deal!” Minor majoring is a sure way to bring progress to a screeching halt. It’s the wet blanket on the creative process. It’s a long boring road trip in a windowless van.

I don’t want to waste time arguing over a capital letter. I want to have the discernment to distinguish between a major and a minor in life. I want to have grace for the lower case, but be willing to fight for things that truly matter. Jesus had that. He didn’t bother with the petty. He would have probably walked quietly out of that meeting and did something of significance. Pharisees split hairs over words and measured out to the gram the tithe of their herb gardens. Jesus said all that was upper case/lower case. Jesus said they ignored the major things like justice, mercy and faithfulness.

How about you? Do you find yourself fighting for a capital Q when you should be loving your neighbor?