Roots and What's Yet Coming

For as long as I can remember, this town has felt too small to me.

I ran away to Chicago for college, convinced the city would have more space for me. I moved to Tegucigalpa, where the scope of ministry felt exhilaratingly large and difficult (I’ve always loved an uphill challenge). And then I accepted a job with the incomparable Danielle Strickland that has literally been Boundless. I have aspired for more, for larger territory, and for wider impact for as long as I can remember.

But, call it age, call it maturity, call it the change of tide in culture amidst chaos worldwide…

Call it what you will,

I’m changing.

In two weeks my time as Strategy Lead and Social Engineer will come to a close with Danielle Strickland and Boundless Communications. We’ll continue to be allies, co-conspirators for Kingdom come, and collaborators for the long-haul, but I’m stepping out of this role to create more margin.

Margin of: Time, Energy, Creativity…

For what I would have never anticipated, and surely would have scoffed at in another season…

These trenches,

in my own hometown.

I hate to admit it, but somewhere latent in me grew a poor theology over the years … of upward mobility.

I never aspired to wealth accumulation and I think I mostly maintained my cringe at power [I did what was kosher in our Christianese], but I did believe that bigger was better. I did believe in growing my platform, in increasing my followers, in building a reach further and farther away (whatever I could do to advance the Gospel opportunity).

Now, don’t get me wrong — scalability and wide impact are important, as is the leveraging of platform. On this I’m unequivocal…

But, but, but ———— Look at the cost when these aspirations rise to top priority.

I could list the leaders.

I could list the churches + orgs.

I could name the two generations that are walking away.

Ephesians 3 (v.16-21) speaks of a deep and wide life. This will be part of Danielle’s legacy in me. 3 years of plumbing the depths and exploring the heights with Boundless Communications has caused a proper theology switch in me…

A theology of descension. In aspiration, in rootedness, and in spiritual formation.

God is calling me home, quite literally: to myself, to my family, to my church, and to my small city: to plumb the depths and explore the heights of his love right here in these trenches.

I’m not done believing in scalability and global impact, but it won’t be at the cost of the flourishing of the people right in front of me.

I’ll descend.

I’ll lay my life down here.

And the upside won’t just be around me — it will be in me, as all of me flourishes in building a life that is as deep as it is wide, secure in the love of the One who called me.

Thank you to Danielle Strickland and the Boundless Communications crew:

  • Women Speakers Collective

  • Infinitum Life

  • Brave Global

  • Amplify Peace

  • IMBY

  • [and our new initiatives in gestation]….

    • Global Peacemakers

    • Hagar’s Voice

    • 5000 Movement

You grew me, celebrated me, and released me with a posture of surrender, generosity, and mission. I charge onward [in my own trenches] with gratitude for what has been and anticipation of what is yet ahead. Cheers to deep + wide lives, to Ephesians 3 Boundless living.

Katie Castro