This Is Delight, Not Duty | 5 ways to protect your heart

Jul 7

⛪️ MONDAY MORNING CHURCH ⛪️

Hey Discover Church,

As we move toward September and the launch of our weekly gatherings, it’s easy to get caught up in the checklist of logistics. Set-up, tear-down, kids ministry, inviting people…there is a lot to do.

Before we go any further, I want to offer you this reminder:

This is delight, not duty.

Think back to the very beginning. In Genesis, God creates the heavens, the earth, the animals, and day and night. Then, on the sixth day, He creates humanity. Adam and Eve show up after everything is already done.

Their first full day is on the seventh day—a day God declares the Sabbath. A day of rest. A day that serves as a reminder that God is the one in control; we are not.

Adam & Eve’s first assignment wasn’t to go build or produce. Their first act was to delight in God’s presence. They were created to enjoy God and be enjoyed by Him.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

This verse has never been more real to me than in this last season of our lives.

For 40 years, Washington was my home. It was all I knew. Kara and I built a life there. Our kids were born there, our friends were there, and our community was there. We loved our church. We delighted in our life. And while we weren’t searching for anything new, deep in our hearts was a quiet desire we hadn’t named yet. A longing to be closer to family, to live in the sun, to raise our kids around their cousins, to support those we love, and to plant a church was unknowingly dormant in our hearts.

When God revealed the next season of our lives through prophetic words, scripture, and confirmation after confirmation, there was no denying it was Him.

We weren’t trying to make anything happen—We were simply delighting in the Lord.

And in that place, God revealed a desire that was already in our hearts and began opening doors to San Diego.

Now, we live in the same city as my sister. Our oldest son Boston is in the same grade as his cousin Phoenix. I get to be present with my brother-in-law who is fighting for his health, living with Type 1 diabetes, and awaiting a second kidney transplant. None of this was in our original “plan.” But God knew. He saw the hidden desires before we did. That’s what happens when we delight in God. He brings things to life we didn’t even know to ask for.

As we prepare to launch Discover Church, I want us to keep this front and center:

Don’t let it become a duty. Keep it a delight.

We don’t have to set up at a high school…
We get to build God’s house in the heart of our city.

We don’t have to invite new people…
We get to extend the love of Jesus to someone who needs it.

When [fill in the blank] becomes a duty, [fill in the blank] becomes about us.

When [serving, praying, inviting, etc.] stays a delight, it stays about Him.

Here are five ways to protect your heart and keep this season full of delight:

1. Start With Presence, Not Production

Just like Adam and Eve, let your first “work” be to rest and be with God. Delight starts in His presence. Stay connected to the Word of God through daily devotion and worship.

2. Name What You’re Grateful For

Write it down. Say it out loud. Gratitude turns the ordinary into worship. Give thanks in all circumstances! 1 Thessalonians 5:18

3. Celebrate The “Get To’s”

Every little “we get to do this” is a miracle in motion. Don’t miss them. We are so blessed to be a part of each and every moment God invites us into building His Kingdom.

4. Sabbath Weekly

Make space to rest, play, and enjoy God. Not because you’ve earned it, but because He’s worthy of it.

5. Remember The Story

Revisit your own journey of how God led you here. You’re not here by accident, you’re here by invitation. Your “why” story is a gift not only to you, but a testimony of God’s grace.

Discover Church will have early mornings, long days, and moments that stretch us. But our prayer is that we will always return to this: