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