This morning I was sitting out in the cool morning air writing in a journal a friend gave me for logging our church planting journey in. I decided to start with the complete story of how God got us to where we are today.
As we draw near our actually moving day, Oct. 30th, we are beginning to face some of the strongest emotions we have ever had. Quite honestly I have had feelings lately of just calling this whole thing off. When I look at the ‘factors’ the future seems bleak. Factors like cost of living, no job yet, living in a town house next door to your landlords with two loud kids, 1 piano, 2 guitars, one set of drums, and a 120 lb. dog. We have grown accustomed to living in our own place by our own rules. Pile on top of that the prospects of starting a church comprised of people I’ve never met before and it all gets a little overwhelming.
I’d pull the covers of my heart back and let you see more but honestly I’m tired of crying and you would probably get tired of reading. So this morning as I reflected back on where this all started eight years ago, God really reminded me of some things. About five years ago God placed in Danell and I the desire to start a new church. A church that would be for people who don’t go to church or may never even think about church. We tried lots of avenues for getting started in doing that but none of those roads seem to lead anywhere, until…. One afternoon we sat in the kitchen of our church parsonage and listened to a tape by Rick Warren about how God called him to strike out to a place he’d never been before and start a church unlike any before it. As we sat crying in our kitchen. We knew what God was saying it was time to do. Shortly after that we left our church, our home, our income and set out to start a new church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Those who know our story know that God had a plan slightly different from ours. We ended up starting X perience, a Saturday night service for spiritually confused searchers.
What God really hit me with this morning as I wrote in my journal was profound for me. The first time I set out to do this I didn’t really have any more blanks filled in than I do now. The only difference was the last time we rolled the dice we landed on home. This time we’ve landed on the other side of the playing board. Over the last four years, after striking out into the unknown, we have bought our first home, renovated it into just what we dreamed it could one day be. We have built deeper friendships than we have ever had anywhere before. We’ve seen God change peoples lives completely around. We have friends who will spend eternity with us that would not have four years ago. I’ve made better money than I’ve ever made in my life. And I’ve learned more in the last four years than in the 34 that preceded them combined.
God hit me this morning with the reality that He is always there. What overwhelms me now will one day be stones stacked along side the road or in the river bed that will serve as reminders of all God did along the way. I pray you and I will trust Him for every step of the journey in front of us. He is always faithful. God, help me never forget that when the clouds of life block my view of You. We love you guys. By the way, we sense your prayers like never before. Please keep them coming. Thank you so much for your faithfulness, friends and family.
