Little Feet, Big Steps, God’s Mountain

At some point yesterday, I wondered if I had climbed a mountain – my feet were tired, my muscles ached, I was tired from head to toe. Yes, I had climbed a mountain. Today, I have spent time remembering what led to the climb. Here are some snapshots from my memories…

It was some time in 1998 – we were returning from a church leadership conference, Bill Hybles was speaking – Ron asked that scary question, “Did God say anything to you tonight?” I wanted to answer, but I wanted to hear from him first, “Yeah, but what did he say to you?” He wouldn’t go, I wouldn’t go, finally we both said, “God told me that one of these days, we’re going to start one of those churches that becomes the ‘Hope of the World’.” Looking at each other with bewilderment, we had no idea what that meant or when that time would come. Together we shared ideas of what that would look like – a church beyond walls, in the community, uniting people in generosity, sharing the extravagant love of God.

Flash forward to October 2006 – we were standing on a mountain in the Eastern Sierra – a beautiful place, full of majesty and splendor, focusing on the awesome creation of God. I looked at Ron and said, “God’s about to do something different with us, isn’t He.” We both knew – we just had no idea what ‘it’ was. Standing on the top of that mountain we knew there was a bigger one ahead of us – one we would climb – one we would probably have no trail map for –one that would require big steps out of our little feet.

Flash forward to August 2007 – we were again on top of a hill somewhere in TN that we had never heard of, somewhere that we never thought we would be – getting ready to go through the ringer at the Church Planting Assessment Center. Could this be the time that God had forecast so many years ago? Were we ready for this mountain? A resounding yes – in the form of affirmation from so many, including those who head CPAC. Only one question remained, “where?”

Flash forward to January 2008 – a moving van makes its way south along the I-95 corridor from PA to Northern Virginia. A place not known, A people not familiar with, A mountain with no map, A job with no income…

Who knew that the next 20 months would involve so many big steps – in raising funds, in building relationships, in establishing credibility, in unleashing generosity. Who knew that time could move so quickly.

October 25, 2009 Restore Community Church held the Grand Opening Celebration for Sunday Morning Services. And yet, the Church began long before that. And while most people see Church as this Sunday Morning thing, Restore is so much more – lived out daily in the community, as one person invests in another, as generosity is extended, as the extravagant love of Jesus is shared. Something tells me that the biggest steps are yet to be taken.

The Psalm I’m praying daily

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.

As we prepare for a transition in the next several weeks, that brings us out of our church planting residency at New Life Christian Church and into a full blown needs assessment for a Community Service Organization, these words have become part of my daily prayer life.  Today, as I drove through our target city, I found myself asking God to bring his peace and prosperity to this new CSO and Church plant, that those within the borders would know peace and feel the peace that comes from relationship with Jesus Christ.

Peace

Four months ago now, our family left Pennsylvania for Northern Virginia. Leading up to our move I prayed intensely for my sanity, for God’s provision in housing, for my kids to transition well. I worried a lot – about selling our home, packing our stuff, moving our stuff, storing our stuff, finding a good deal on a rental, saying “Goodbye”, saying “Hello”, my kids, our finances. Then I started praying through various Psalms, the more I prayed the less I worried, the less I worried the more I prayed. Finally – PEACE!

I never prayed for peace specifically but it came – it came as I gave each worry over to God.

We don’t know where we will be tomorrow – literally – we don’t know when the home we are renting will sell and we will have to move out, we don’t know where we will be planting a new church , we don’t have all the details of our fund-raising wrapped up yet, we are still living out of boxes. Funny thing about all this, I can not remember another season of life, since becoming an adult, quite as peaceful. Life today is a season of peace – beginning each day, as I pray through what could worry me, as I let go of the control to “know” in the moment, as I sit and enjoy the moments with my children, even as I shuffle through boxes still trying to find that elusive Lego that will make all the others fit together.

Peace

Reminisce

In October, when I started this blog, I thought it would be a great way to journal the incredible journey that our family had been called to walk. You know, a blog a day, that chronicles everything that happens, so that years from now we could all look back and marvel at what God was doing early on in our journey of faith – the journey of a church planting family. I thought it would be great to document our thoughts, our conversations, and God’s hand of providence in motion.Then I have woke up to the realization, I wasn’t doing a very good job of that. In fact, I really had not been faithful to the original good idea at all. I’m one of those – full speed, get the job done, make sure that everyone is fully taken care of – sit down and reflect once everyone else is settled, kind of people. My last three weeks, have continued to awaken me to the reality that life just doesn’t work that way. And so now, with two kids coughing up a lung, a pile of laundry, and floors that desperately need to be washed, I am reminiscing.

Reminiscing about how God has moved in our lives, how faithful God has been, and how in the midst of absolute craziness – life has yet to feel out of control. It must be the fact that 1 year ago, Ron and I completely surrendered control of our life journey to God’s design -fully committing to walk wherever God was taking us – even if it meant giving up the comforts we had grown accustomed to.

Here is a look back at the experiences that have defined our journey:

January ‘07

• Prayer, Prayer, Prayer – that God would help us discern the stirring He had been doing in our heart for several months

February ‘07

• Commit as a couple to walk wherever God was taking us
• Trusted friends begin praying for us in our discerning process
• Begin researching church planting

March ‘07

• Narrow down some paths to pursue in church planting

April ‘07

• Ron attends National New Church Conference
• Begin talking with church planters, church planting groups, and denominations

May ‘07

• More trusted friends commit to pray for us as we now begin seriously pursuing church planting

June ‘07

• Narrow the field to two organizations we would actively purse

July ‘07

• Sign up for assessment and look to partner with the Independent Christian Church and Stadia: New Church Strategies

August ‘07

• Attend Church Planting Assessment
• Affirmed as Church Planters

September ‘07

• Connect with the NOVA church plant network

October ‘07

• Affirmed as the new NOVA church planters
• Put our house on the market
• Ron resigns from Calvary Church

November ‘07

• Attend Church Planting Boot-camp
• Sell our house

December’07

• Pack our house, move out of our home, travel for Christmas
• Start fund-raising
• Ron finishes at Calvary Church

January ‘08

• Do the mid-west family, friends and Canada tour -
• Move to Northern Virginia – Let the fun begin

February ‘08

• Settle in, tour NOVA, battle sickness