nothing to lose

i have been under the weather the past few days and have fallen off the blogging trail. after a shot of something from the doctor and some rest i'm back in the race.

this morning at c|Life we reflected on the first 32 months of our church's existence. when we started the church in 2006 all we knew for sure was that we were supposed to start a church. david, paul and i (go to clifec.com to see who i'm referring to) weren't sure how to start a church, whether or not we would have any money to do ministry or if anyone would even want to come worship with us. we just knew that we had to do what God was leading us to do....leave the security of the known and step into the unknown.

here we are 32 months later and we are about to move from our school cafeteria location to our renovated skating rink location. God has done more than we could have ever imagined. i thought i would take a quick trip down memory lane....hang with me because i have something for you at the end:

• marriages have been restored. some of the ones that come to mind were by all accounts helplessly bound for destruction....but God did the impossible and brought restoration.

• singles have discovered that singleness isn't a disease. many of our singles have embraced God's plan for them and are living out their faith as ambassadors of Christ.

• water wells have been dug. we took up an offering one sunday (with no warning given to the church) and raised $12,000 over and above our regular tithes. a few weeks later we learned that God provided an organization that matched our $12,000 dollar for dollar and doubled the number of wells we were able to dig in Africa.

• children's home in guatemala. after doing a mission trip to a goverment run orphanage in guatemala we realized that something had to be done differently. next week a team of builders will go to put some final touches on our Community of Life Children's Home. God has also raised up a family from within the church to go and run the children's home for the first couple of years.

• partnership with a church in africa. helped to build them a church bldg., taught in their seminary and how to start small businesses. they taught us how to be content.
  

• lots of baptisms. we have been blessed to see lots of people cross the line of faith over the past couple of years. we also celebrated with them as they obediently followed Christ's example in baptism.
  

i wish i could tell you all the stories and i really wish i could make them as impactful for you as they were for me. it is impossible to recreate those experiences for anyone...sort of a "had to be there" type of thing. suffice it to say: God has done some truly amazing things. He has affirmed time and again that we heard Him correctly when we sensed it was time to start a new church.

here's something for you to consider: what is God calling you to do/say/restore/reconcile for His glory? believe me when i say that sometimes it feels risky to step-out in faith but it is always worth it. if you look back through God's movement among His people you will see a consistent trend...He shows up when His people trust Him.

so go ahead....shock a few people (maybe even yourself) and trust God's leading in your life: what do you have to lose? trust me when i say...absolutely nothing!!

20Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Eph. 3:20-21