Inspired... by a giant mushroom.

Church today was really great, and I'm glad I decided to go. We had a showcase of all the micro churches and sub-ministries that the Underground is comprised of. So first off, because all the groups were there to showcase, the place was PACKED. Worship was super powerful, and I actually ended up sitting on the floor because of the amount of people there. (I actually prefer the floor, to be honest.) Any time there is a large group of people passionately worshiping God, I can't help but be moved. And plus, I love Melyssa's voice. :)

Brian's message was fantastic as usual, so I won't go too far into that. The message about seeking God's call for your life, and not being sucked into the "mob mentality" of complacency was really good. It struck a chord with me, as I am trying to discover God's call on my life, and fight my always-persistent laziness that tries to take over and be happy with doing nothing.

But the showcase afterwards was so inspiring. Exciting. I had an idea of how many micro-churches there were in the network... but I seriously underestimated it. Just between the Tampa and St. Pete areas, there must have been 20. More than that if you count all the chapters of InterVarsity separately, since there are about 6 or 7 chapters in this area alone (USF, UT, HCC, SPC, USF St. Pete, and Eckerd). You can learn about some of them on our website, but it doesn't have anywhere near all of them listed right now.

I had heard it said before-- the Underground network is larger than you think-- but today, I saw it with my own eyes. Because the most amazing thing is that each of these 20 or so micro-churches/missions is reaching out to the people around them. Every single group. They all reach the poor and the vulnerable, and they all show love in the name of Jesus, and they all fight the evil that tries so hard to grip our cities. And the thing is... it works. Really well. People are having their lives transformed constantly. People are being freed to live the lives for which they were created. And these people then turn around to love the people around THEM. It's an awesome concept, and it works amazingly well, because every person involved draws from God's never-failing supply of love and compassion.

The Tampa Underground reminds me of a mushroom. On the surface of the ground, you have this visible mushroom, which I guess for us is our Sunday morning service. But connected to a mushroom is this network of branching roots, called the mycelium. The mycelium is the actual bulk of the organism, and it's never seen. It stretches out farther than you would believe, and thrives under the surface without anyone being aware of how massive it actually is. That's what our micro churches are. They are this interconnected network of people who you may not see from the surface-- but they're there, and they're growing, and they're changing the very landscape of the city I live in.

Knowing that this network is here makes me feel so secure. I know that no matter what I go through, I will never have to be stuck struggling on my own, and it makes me feel freer to pursue whatever call God places on my life. I am so, so excited for the amazing ways God will continue to use this network of people who serve in His name... including little me!!