Thanks, Aaron! Really good post. Appreciate you my friend, really blessed by your writing and as always, your love for discipleship to Jesus, following him, being shared and formed by Jesus. It’s refreshing to see how the Lord enables you and Brooklyn to keep putting another foot forward daily, living in the space of realizing that numbers, flashy ministries, and doing great things for God (so to speak), are not what or how Jesus defines success in ministry. These 8 college aged people are really fortunate to have you pouring into them.
One hope I have as I continue to post here on substack (really to a fresh group of people outside my normal bubble and comfort zone) is I hope that no one misreads some of the stuff I’ve been saying. I’ve got zero resentment toward folks with big platforms or large followings who are doing what they are doing with a heart that wants to glorify Jesus!
I’m genuinely proud of my friends doing that kind of work, and I know how heavy that responsibility can be even based on seasons when my group and reach was larger.
What I’ve had to wrestle with lately is this: Jesus is proud of me, too. Even when the numbers are small. Even when the reach feels limited. The Kingdom impact is still real. God sees the effort.
The hard part is… it’s just less visible. And I think all of us, in our humanity, long to feel seen and validated. Especially in a culture that often measures worth by social media traction or donor count. But I’m learning….slowly… is that Jesus doesn’t value what the algorithm values.
I have this sense that when we finally see things from heaven’s perspective, we’re going to be surprised. We will see so many who were unknown. A lot of faithful saints who never “grew their platform” but quietly changed the world anyway.
Aaron, that does not come across at all. I do not detect any cynicism, nor resentment towards those with a big platform. The issue is that the big platform can become a litmus test for success and a sign God is blessing something, but those on the margins, in the back row, faithfully pointing those entrusted to their care to Jesus, are somehow doing something wrong. I had to detox from that pressure I grew up under when it comes to ministry success. Julie and I lead a small church of broken, beat up people. People who had walked away from Church, not Jesus. But, they did not think they would come back to a church community. They have found a home at the Cove, and in that we rejoice. We have homeless people, mentally ill people, etc. that I watched get ushered out of church services in the past. Our church community may not be pretty, big, and impacting the masses, but we are learning how to see, understand, and live out the way of Jesus that is a more beautiful story than anything else. Aaron, you are refreshing to read, appreciate you and your heart, willing to be vulnerable, transparent, and wrestle with things that many are afraid to say. Jesus welcomes our doubts, insecurities, weaknesses, brokenness, etc. You model this well my friend, thank you!!
Absolutely brilliant! I enjoyed this immensely from my little corner of the Indian Himalayas where it’s an unusually cold and rainy summer morning 🌧️ ☕️
Hey, from one Aaron to another, I really enjoyed this read. Fun to consider. Have you read Kreeft’s imagined discussions with various historic figures sharing their perspectives? Similarly fun. Thanks for putting the post up. 😉
To my shame, I have only dabbled in Kreeft... but to hear that he shares my love for nonsense (that hopefully encourages others) is very encouraging! I'll have to dive into that. Thanks, Aaron!
Thanks, Aaron! Really good post. Appreciate you my friend, really blessed by your writing and as always, your love for discipleship to Jesus, following him, being shared and formed by Jesus. It’s refreshing to see how the Lord enables you and Brooklyn to keep putting another foot forward daily, living in the space of realizing that numbers, flashy ministries, and doing great things for God (so to speak), are not what or how Jesus defines success in ministry. These 8 college aged people are really fortunate to have you pouring into them.
Thanks so much, Chris. That really means a lot.
One hope I have as I continue to post here on substack (really to a fresh group of people outside my normal bubble and comfort zone) is I hope that no one misreads some of the stuff I’ve been saying. I’ve got zero resentment toward folks with big platforms or large followings who are doing what they are doing with a heart that wants to glorify Jesus!
I’m genuinely proud of my friends doing that kind of work, and I know how heavy that responsibility can be even based on seasons when my group and reach was larger.
What I’ve had to wrestle with lately is this: Jesus is proud of me, too. Even when the numbers are small. Even when the reach feels limited. The Kingdom impact is still real. God sees the effort.
The hard part is… it’s just less visible. And I think all of us, in our humanity, long to feel seen and validated. Especially in a culture that often measures worth by social media traction or donor count. But I’m learning….slowly… is that Jesus doesn’t value what the algorithm values.
I have this sense that when we finally see things from heaven’s perspective, we’re going to be surprised. We will see so many who were unknown. A lot of faithful saints who never “grew their platform” but quietly changed the world anyway.
Aaron, that does not come across at all. I do not detect any cynicism, nor resentment towards those with a big platform. The issue is that the big platform can become a litmus test for success and a sign God is blessing something, but those on the margins, in the back row, faithfully pointing those entrusted to their care to Jesus, are somehow doing something wrong. I had to detox from that pressure I grew up under when it comes to ministry success. Julie and I lead a small church of broken, beat up people. People who had walked away from Church, not Jesus. But, they did not think they would come back to a church community. They have found a home at the Cove, and in that we rejoice. We have homeless people, mentally ill people, etc. that I watched get ushered out of church services in the past. Our church community may not be pretty, big, and impacting the masses, but we are learning how to see, understand, and live out the way of Jesus that is a more beautiful story than anything else. Aaron, you are refreshing to read, appreciate you and your heart, willing to be vulnerable, transparent, and wrestle with things that many are afraid to say. Jesus welcomes our doubts, insecurities, weaknesses, brokenness, etc. You model this well my friend, thank you!!
Absolutely brilliant! I enjoyed this immensely from my little corner of the Indian Himalayas where it’s an unusually cold and rainy summer morning 🌧️ ☕️
Delighted to hear it!
Hey, from one Aaron to another, I really enjoyed this read. Fun to consider. Have you read Kreeft’s imagined discussions with various historic figures sharing their perspectives? Similarly fun. Thanks for putting the post up. 😉
To my shame, I have only dabbled in Kreeft... but to hear that he shares my love for nonsense (that hopefully encourages others) is very encouraging! I'll have to dive into that. Thanks, Aaron!
They’re fun and very insightful. Check out “Between heaven and Hell”, a dialogue between Lewis, Kennedy, and Huxley. It’s my fav of his dialogues.
There are so many lines in this one that are making me snort out loud… “tweed and spiritual authority…” 😂
I've always been a big dork and a fan of the outlandish and whimsical 😂.
I 1000% believe this conversation actually happened and they are are still roasting each other somewhere beyond the bend of the road
Oh my gosh… that’s so hilarious 🤣
Super Fun! And relate-able!