1. n the fall of 2005, I boarded a
cruise ship for a study abroad
program called Semester At
Sea. I spent my fall semester
literally on a cruise ship seeing
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the world. I would love to tell you I
worked really hard in class to obtain
good grades, but that would be a lie.
(I’m a pastor, I am not allowed to lie.)
Most afternoons at sea were spent
lying by the pool, planning my next
grand adventure.
As I laid by the pool, I’d often remem-ber
how my pastor used to describe
his hope for the Church: “This isn’t a
cruise ship; this is a battle ship.” He
wasn’t talking about being at war so
much as emphasizing Christ’s desire
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place to serve and help the Church be
what Christ intended: more like Him.
It reminds me of the Apostle Paul’s
desire for us to, “grow up in every way
into Him who is the head, into Christ.”
Paul goes on to say this is only possible
if, “the whole body, held together by
every joint with which it is equipped,
is working properly . . . ” (Ephe-sians
4:15-16 ESV). Well, I did get
a D in Anatomy (seriously), but I’m
pretty sure the joints Paul is referring
to are you and me. And I’m pretty sure
we aren’t functioning properly if we
are simply cruising through our faith
journey, blissfully unaware, enjoying
a comfortable ride as someone else
brings us to our next port of call.
I came to CPC three years ago to a
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time in 30 years, I have what I would
call a “home.” That didn’t just happen.
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arrival was join a small group. I’ll ad-
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were all so different and carried our
own set of strange quirks. Over time
we studied Scripture, prayed, laughed,
cried, and served together. It took
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effort, but it was worth every minute.
This random group of strangers took
residence in my heart and became
part of my community. God used
them in my life to make me more like
Christ, and He used me in theirs. That
is a beautiful thing.
Being part of a church isn’t about
making more friends; it’s about
becoming more like Christ, and we
can’t do that alone. How tragic if we
were to live out this life surrounded
by people just like us. You see, the
reality is I can’t do this Christian
life without you, and you can’t do it
without me. It’s not really about “you”
or “me” anyhow; it’s about “us.” It’s
about learning how we can function
together to grow up in every way into
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people that wants to walk with Jesus
together to make a difference in this
world. It’s about doing life together.
It’s about being intentional to let a
building of strangers become your
community.
I loved my time on the cruise ship,
but I don’t want to live my life that
way. And I don’t want you to either.
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place. Because like my old pastor
said, “This isn’t a cruise ship; this is a
battle ship.” All aboard.
So grab your
stations and find
your place.
Because like my old
pastor said, “this
isn’t a cruise ship,
it’s a battle ship.”
Lee Hanssen serves
as CPC’s Director of
Student Ministries,
which places every
single student in a
small group with a
mentor. Lee, who was
married in May 2013,
is pursuing his M.Div
at Bethel Seminary.
10 OCTO B E R 2 0 1 3 | C P C L I F E
By Lee Hanssen