Archives for April 2013

Over the past few month, where I've not been updating...like ever, God's done some crazy cool stuff! I should have been writing it all in a journal but its all happened so fast that I just needed to revel in His awesomeness. And by AWEsomeness, I do mean things that you can only respond to in awe.

I would love to spend some time trying to share just a some of those things.

He has provided the practical 'needs' of our part of The Church: a building to set up as a meeting space for weekly gatherings, chairs, lights, speakers, screen, projector, couch, comfy chairs, toys, paper goods, cleaning supplies, and all for FREE! Yep, you heard that right! All these things were provided via several other churches we have some kind of contact with: 2 different young church plants, 1 established church, and a couple WELL established church. Individuals have also donate or donate toward all of these things along side the simple state funding we've received for monthly costs.

After the physical needs began to roll in, God made sure we knew "man cannot live on bread alone" and provided the relational needs. He starting building new relationships and deepening others on the road to creating a core/launch team. "Parachuting into a new community" was bound to leave us searching for new friends as well as struggling to find those who God was calling to come to the valley. Supernaturally, He did it. Our team all have incredible, individual stories of how they came to be a part of the valley.

I mentioned above that we had always planned to "parachute" into the community in which we were to plant this church...yeah. That means, we live(d) about an hour and a half from the town where we are planting. When making "plans" {bahahahahaha} to go about this logically, the first thing on our to-do list was MOVE. Apparently God's ways {which are always much better}, are not ours, this time. We have been taught so much through this struggle.

1. God doesn't want this church to be based on Matt and I. That may sound like a no-brainer but many churches here in the US are founded on a personality. A pastor who is an incredible teacher, hilarious story teller, and/or a really good organize/administer. With us not living in this town, we have pushed deep into the fact that the foundation of The Church is Christ. We must be centered around HIM and no one else.
2. Another way He's shown us, its-not-about-us through not living in the community, is that He desires to use those who have been rooted her for years and have a long term love for this community. Don't get me wrong, we have fallen in love with this community in an illogical way but God is allowing us to teach those in the valley the big principles He's taught our family over the past few years, to change how they are loving on, interacting with, and chasing after their community for Christ and therefor add to The Church that already exist in the community.
3. Another BIG way He is growing us through this aspect of the plant {not living in the community} is through the act of a more than generous acquaintance(s) turned friend(s).

"And they will know you by your love"

Anyone can be a generous. That is a nice person.
Only Christ can bring someone to incomprehensible generosity.
That is love.

• During the months leading up to launch, we had a women {whom we'd never met before we told our last church we were leaving to plant} come tell us that God ask her to support us in this by giving us a third of her income...For Real! She was faithful to this for more than 10 months.

• Currently , we are living in a home that's not our own. We still haven't sold our gorgeous home but have moved into an amazing house we are staying in Rent and Utility FREE. This family found out we were still commuting 2-4 times a week for different meetings and offered to lend us a home.

We are learning humility often breeds abundant blessing.