I need to be BRAVE!

I’m astounded at where God is taking our church, Forest Park Church – that is :o).  www.fplive.org   Yes, we’ve had tremendous growth, people everywhere, no room anywhere and we are doing the proverbial “busting at the seams” thing, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  I am astounded at what God is doing in the hearts and lives of people!

27 of our volunteers and staff attended the Unleash Conference at NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC, last week.  I love this conference because it is PERFECT for volunteer staff as they have to take minimal time off work and it is an immensely challenging experience for a 1 – day.  Plus, being the overachievers that Scott and I are, we push to get there early so we can be one of the very few churches NewSpring allows into their student service so our gang can experience that, too!

As we got there “super early” on Thursday to find seats for everyone of our FPC gang to sit at the front of the 2500 seat auditorium that makes up the main auditorium of NewSpring Church, I found myself feeling so in awe of what God can actually do, when you trust.  That local church has grown from 70 to 11,000 in a little over 10 years - astounding – and they really can’t explain HOW it happened.  We, along with 3,000 other people, were attending the conference to hear a little of that story but the staff is very up front about the fact that they really don’t know HOW it happened.  However, what I took away from this Unleash Conference is the fact that we, FOREST PARK CHURCH, need to be brave.  We need to be brave to believe that God wants to impact Elizabeth City just as he impacted Anderson, SC, to create life change.  As God began to grow NewSpring, the leadership had to be brave to borrow money, expand and trust God to create more life change – it has happened!

I shared with a friend yesterday that I’m finding myself at a point in my life of ultimate frustration.  When I walk into the doors at FPC, I always think, “Where are we going to put all these people?  Is everyone going to find a seat today?  I hope no one is going to be standing!  Will there be enough seats back in Adventure Park today?  It goes on and on…”  As my sweet friend reminded me of how far God has brought us over the last few years and that He placed within Scott and me the vision that we have – it hit me WE NEED TO BE BRAVE…I need to be brave to believe that God will complete what He has begun in our ministry at Forest Park Church and it will be what He wants it to be!

At our Community Group last night we talked about what steps that we, individually, need to do, to begin to open our eyes to see hurting people.  As I sat there, listened to each of those people share, I realized that what God has done at FPC is absolutely astounding because lives have been changed.  We need space, we need bathrooms, we need a larger hallway and a bigger auditorium – I know all that – but God is really changing people.  That’s the win and I need to be brave to believe that this will be exactly what HE wants in HIS time.

When you pastor, really pastor, people – life change is all that matters.

Until next time,

Lana

Do you really trust your FRIENDS?

Friendship is a peculiar concept to people who are quite adept at handling life on their own – like me.  I mean, we know we need friends but we are so used to tackling situations, solo, that we forget to garner the support that friendship would afford us, if we would only take advantage of it.

Over the years, God has blessed my life with some AMAZING friends who have walked into my life for just a few months or some who have set up camp alongside of me and remained for years.  Regardless, we’ve shared treasured moments of conversation, love, tears – even disagreements.  However, all of those encounters are what makes real friends incapable of being lived without.  When I’ve been at my most vulnerable my friends have loved me enough to forget about their own issues, stop thinking about what’s happening in their lives and for a few short moments, I am the focus.  I can’t explain how important those times were for me because I have a very difficult time with that kind of vulnerability.  But when I know someone really loves me – I can do it.

At the same time, when I don’t feel completely accepted or valued – I can be guilty of “stiff-arming” or giving the “cold shoulder”.  It’s not because that I don’t like the person or don’t want to spend time with someone; it’s just because I don’t “trust” the relationship.  I don’t trust the person to be in the relationship for me – it’s for them and what they can get from me and that really hurts! 

Unfortunately, we do the same thing in our relationship/friendship with Christ.  Does that even make sense – not trusting the Creator of this world with my heart, my struggles, and my life?  No, it doesn’t make sense but we all do it because we struggle so vastly with TRUST.  Therefore, we tackle all that life has to throw at us independently - not even consulting His wisdom, expertise and compassion.  Just as a friend would be greatly wounded at our ignoring their presence in our lives, how much more so must be Christ?  I can sense that it breaks His heart because I know how much I hurt when I’m rejected by people I love so desperately, especially when I know that I could help if they would  only let me.

Just what I’m thinking today…busy, busy, busy day working out of town, away from my family and alone – independent of everyone but Him.  It’s always in those times when He reminds me of just how close He is - when I stop long enough to sense and know that He is near, on my lunch hour, of course :o)

Until next time,

Lana