As many of you already know, last week my wife and I were approved to start a Home Missions church in Sugar Land Texas.
What a wild and exciting ride it has already been.
I can't tell you how fast things have been moving. God moved on me many months ago to start a church. I didn't know when or where, all I knew was that God was calling us to a new chapter in our lives and ministry.
It started in January when, unexpectedly, the door opened for us to go to Because of the Times - the preacher's conference held annually in Alexandria Louisiana. It was at this conference that God began working on me to start a church.
When we returned home, my wife and I began praying about God's timing, direction, and plan for our lives. Two months later I was sitting in another conference when the plea was made for Sugar Land Texas. It struck a cord in my heart and another piece of this puzzle was put in place.
Two months after that I was sitting in another conference. (Apparently God speaks to me in conferences :) ) God spoke to me again - this time through tongues and interpretation. I had wrestled with the idea for many months. I wanted to make sure that the voice I was hearing wasn't my own. Finally God broke through my stubbornness and I yielded to his call.
Two days later I sat at the Denny's in Texas City with my pastor explaining everything I felt God leading us to do. I was asking for his blessing, his release, his wisdom, and his direction.
After that a whirlwind started.
Phone call after phone call....
Conversation after conversation...
I talked to friends, family, district officials, neighboring pastors, and of course God. One week later I sat before the district board of the South Texas District and asked them to approve me to start a new church in Sugar Land.
One week later!
It all happened so fast. The Wednesday night of that week I fell asleep and God spoke to me in a dream. In that dream he gave me three words followed by descriptive words. When I awoke, I felt the Holy Ghost tell me, "these are to be the core values of the church." God had stepped into my slumber and embedded in my heart the core values we were to live and operate under.
This served as a confirmation that I had heard from God, and that he was orchestrating every step.
Today we walk into week three. We have selected a name for the church which we will reveal later. It's not a big secret, but I'm not fully ready to go public with it just yet. We have also written out our core values (which I will reveal later also) and have established a discipleship program concept that will help us get new comers grounded.
Tomorrow - or I guess I should say this afternoon since it is 12:26 in the morning - we are going to Sugar Land to get a P.O. Box and look at a house that is available. This is a testimony in itself because the houses are so high in Sugar Land that we were not sure how we were going to be able to find a place big enough and in our budget. Friday, a house came available that has more than enough room and is well within our means. This could be another miracle, and another confirmation of God's divine plan.
We are working to open an account in the church's name. We have already been blessed with wonderful people who have pledged to help us get established and on our feet. I have been totally amazed by the generosity we have experienced in such a short amount of time.
I'm not sure about when we'll get kicked off. I'm not even sure about what our next move ought to be (someone really should come up with a check list for Home Missionaries), but one thing I am sure about is that God is in this and we will not fail.
So, if there is anyone out there who has some suggestions for a first time church planter, then please load my plate. For those who may not know what the next step ought to be, please remember us in your prayers. Destiny's ride is an exciting one. It's a fast paced roller coaster of exhilaration and trepidation combined.
We are excited about the possibilities. Pumped about the future, and confident in our God. I can't wait to see what Christ has in store for the new church in Sugar Land Texas.
It's the start of something new......
