In the last 14 years Terely and I have said goodbye to more people than we can count. And it's very difficult, and we've felt that loss so much that honestly we don't know if we are just getting wiser in dealing with those losses or whether we are just growing calloused to the impact. But it's a reality we deal with all the time.

Recently I received this very encouraging letter:

"Four years ago, we moved from ____ to San Francisco and immediately joined your congregation on the advice of our pastor. It was a tremendous thing for us and I want to thank you for all that City Church, in its many manifestations, has done for our family and our faith. We gratefully received your message, Karl's music, and the support of a truly amazing church community at the broad level, and community group at the most personal. City Church, in every way, has been a tremendous gift to us."

And then the next sentence reads "Last Fall we moved back to ____." Ouch. It's a great challenge for us as a church, and interpersonally as we build friendships, and watch others move away. I don't have any easy answers for this. It's hard to continually be making new friends, often knowing they may not be here very long. Here's how I talk to myself about it.

First, I accept the reality that this city is a transient one. People stay here for short chapters of their life usually, and I accept it. Second, I determine to be present for that chapter of their life, knowing that their story is a long one, and God has still given me the gift of being part of their story, and they a part of mine. This also means that as a church we must always embrace the opportunity to impact the lives of people who will be scattered all over the world. Third, I prioritize the community I do have, and seek to grow that circle. Fourth, and this is perhaps most important, I see where I live as a calling. God has placed me here, in this transient place, for a reason. There will be parts of it that I will love, and parts of it that will be hard, and fall under the category of participating in the "fellowship of his sufferings". But none of it will fall outside his calling of me to be his presence, right now, in this very transient, and amazing, and fractured city, and to use my resources, gifts, experiences, and abilities to follow Him in mission.

Ah San Francisco. You are such a charmer and such a heart breaker. Let's pray together as a community to love each other well, no matter how long we get to be with each other, and trust together that God will meet us in the hard goodbyes and provide beyond our wildest imaginations.