The Story……….Continued
Posted By Aaron Marcelli on August 26, 2009
A couple months ago I wrote this piece as one of my first blog entries, entitling it “the story”. I used it as a chance to tell some of the major events that happened in my life to inform and update those who had wondered as to my change of ministry, location, etc. I notice that I ended that entry on a rather negative note and still giving no information as to the most recent year or so of my life. So allow me…….
I would not expect anyone to show such interest in my life that they attempt to put together the scattered pieces I leave across this website but my life now consists of working quite a bit, trying to be more intentional about building relationships (especially with people who are unlike myself), getting to travel quite a bit more often, and scratching for the time to promote and develop a ministry of writing.
Part of my reasoning behind launching one more voice into the heavy traffic blogging web was just to be able to have an outlet and share what God is doing in my life. It’s really hard still to deal with no longer having a church crowd I was able to study and share with weekly or have my advice sought on spiritual matters. God has been doing things in me recently that He has never done before and I am walking through unique situations rich with story and truth, yet have no one to tell. I struggle though sometimes with what to write here because I do not want to be marked as someone who wallows in pain or has become stuck in misery by writing on the very low times I spent about two years ago in guilt, shame, and repentance. Nor is it easy to conjure up those feelings again and relay them to others as being as real and powerful as they were for me then, even though it was in that time I learned so much and crawled closer to Jesus. I do wish others could understand some of what I went through though – the only reason being to gain from my experience and perhaps take some of the same steps I have been able to but without the extremely exhausting circumstances.
Finally, my largest motivation for beginning to write in this format is to gain a following. Not to start an Aaron Marcelli fan club, pretend that I have more pull than I do, or create interest for lots of book sales, but following and support for what I believe God is desiring to do through a group of people in which I want to be a part. In the first “story” post I mentioned how I had trouble previously opening up to people about what I was really feeling or thinking and I’m afraid I must admit I have become guilty of that again. For fear of embarrassment, discouragement, or the constant thought that I’m dreaming too big for my calling to be real, I have kept to myself. When others would ask what God has been doing in my life I would respond with a general Christian answer while inside dying to have the freedom to verbally explode about the passion I have developed for a specific ministry. That is why I am finally using this method to boldly and publicly profess that I am pursuing planting a new, unique, vibrant, God-led church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. There are plenty of excuses and reasons not to do this or not to do it there, but a dream, passion, and vision I have prayed over, prayed through, and tested many times trumps any “reasonable” argument against this.
I am fully committed to this work. I do not know what obstacles or opportunities for growth may come first, but church planting in the city I have become so burdened for is what I think about when I’m awake, dream about when I’m asleep, and envision when I’m in that relaxed state of in between. I don’t know who all will be willing to be involved or what method of resourcing we may have to use but all great earthly works of God have been because of acts of faith by men and I desire to be one used by God to see life-change. So I write this to inform you, ask for your support, and to hold myself accountable to continue to follow God’s leading because I have been confident enough to now go public with this.
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