The mountain top was truly amazing this weekend...the best part is that I was already spiritually growing before we ever left...God has been stirring up a fresh vision in me...a fresh hunger for him. I have been begging him for it.
So I wasn't surprised when I started a 2 hour walk with God on Friday morning that the doubts started to settle in...questions of me...my leadership...our church...As I walked through the woods I simple rebuked the enemy and my flesh and kept going...I came to a clearing...a place that I had never been before in my 4 years on that mountain...from where I sat down, I could see 10-15 mountains...some close and clear...some far away and they almost looked blue...it was beautiful...in that moment I started to write...writing down things that I was thankful about God...not things that I was thankful for in my life...but things that I was thankful for about him...I wrote A LOT!
Then God opened my eyes...reminded me why I ever became a pastor...reminded me of one of my first meetings as a church planter...of the vision to plant church ALL OVER Michiana to reach this community for Jesus Christ...I was reminded of how we need to STEP BACK and look at the big picture...at the mountain range from time to time...we need to step OUT OF THE WOODS and get a fresh look at where we are headed. It was sooooo refreshing.
Then...I headed back to the woods and instead of taking the path I started my own path...it was FULL of thorns and "prickly" bushes...I wanted to turn back and head to the path...I wanted to go back to where it was easier...BUT THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS TURNING BACK. Same goes for my work here...as far as I can tell...God is not finished with Grace Community Church...he longs for us to fall deeper in love with him...he longs for us to love each other...he longs for us to reach this community and for as long as I am able...I'll be charging that mountain!!
With that time...God renewed my love...my passion for his church...for his vision for SB...I have been praying for that for months...for a hunger for God...HIS church...and people that don't know him. GOD IS DOING THAT IN ME...so this looooooooooooooooooong season of winter in my life...the longest winter I have ever had in my life...a season of about a year seems to be coming to a close. And I'll tell you...I am welcoming the spring and look forward to what God has in store!!
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