[lead dropcap="yes"]It was a gorgeous sunny day in Miami as servant leaders from all around the city gathered at the Little Haiti Cultural Center. With smiling faces and busy hands, they carefully crafted the vibes for the highlight event. [/lead]

Creative Collective

The atmosphere was set to inspire the creative within. Careful details embellished the environment, a sneak peek of SZN3 visuals. Visitors could also check out a small pop up shop stocked with some unique pieces designed by our very own. Everything you saw and heard as you entered the auditorium left the same impression; that everyone involved put their heart and soul into the preparation using the many gifts God has given them to make it a night we would always remember!

Broken But Not Destroyed

After a beautiful live presentation of a potter molding a piece of clay, Pastor Rich began to speak on the topic “Broken But Not Destroyed”. We were reminded that we are created in the image of God and that he not only created us, but called us his finest masterpiece! Pastor Rich reminded us of how vast our imagination was when we were younger, and how a sense of invincibility overtook us as we imagined our future, and made impossible dreams our hope. There was no dream we couldn’t dream.

Somewhere along the journey toward maturity we began to experience failure in its many forms, causing us sometimes to lower our standards and shorten our dreams. We developed habits of hiding our failures to mask our brokenness. We now seek the perfection we cannot obtain for ourselves. Because we were created in the image of a perfect God, perfection is what we long for.

Pastor Rich reminded us to let go of the need for perfection and EMBRACE our brokenness instead. Demonstrating our brokenness, Pastor Rich dropped a clay pot from his hands— shattering it and sending pieces scattering across the stage. As he began to pick up its broken pieces one by one, Pastor Rich explained three practical ways to become effective in the midst of our brokenness:

Get comfortable being vulnerable.

As creatives we are afraid to be vulnerable and show our imperfections, so we close ourselves off. What we don’t realize is vulnerability is our biggest blessing! People connect to our vulnerability. God can use our wounds as someone else’s wisdom. We have to understand that the point is not to always win, but to continue to try. Though we will at times fail, our greatest art will come from our ability to be vulnerable.

“People connect to our pain, not our perfection.” Pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr.

Defeat the temptation to work in isolation.

When we are broken and hurting, our first instinct is to isolate ourselves. We are tempted to avoid church and people. But as broken pieces, what good are we alone? Only when we come together in agreement can something powerful happen! Our temptation is to make things all about ourselves, but this draws attention to us for all the wrong reasons. Together we deliver the message of Jesus much better. There is no place to grow in perfection, but brokenness brings an abundance of growth! As we defeat the temptation to walk in isolation, anything becomes possible.

Find restoration in God’s perfection.

In our broken state we can find encouragement in this truth: God only works with things that are broken. It is when we are broken that God is able to shine his light through us. It is in our greatest weakness that God’s light shines the brightest! When we are hidden in him all of the sudden his power, grace, and purpose come alive in us. As pastor Rich said, when we surrender our lives to God making our lives not about ourselves but about him, our brokenness starts to get hidden in his wholeness.

“When I allow God to hold me, I allow God to mold me.” Pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr.

Although at times life is spinning out of control leaving us all as “broken pieces of clay”, we must remember one constant: we NEVER leave the potter’s hand. Though we are weak, let's remember that God is sufficient, and in Him anything is possible.

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​​Crew Week

Crews are on this week! Our church will be gathering in small groups all over Miami to connect, hang, and laugh together. You can still make it to a Thursday or Friday crew.Get in a Crew

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