by Andy Comer
Well…
It’s finally here.
It wasn’t too long ago that the idea of planting a church was something that would happen one day, off in the distant future. Starting a church was a dream in our hearts filled with lots of what if’s, do you think we can’s, and I hope we will’s.
But now, as I sit in a bustling Starbucks surrounded by warm coffee on a cold Wednesday morning (It’s 13 degrees outside!), that dream is becoming a reality. Planting a church is not something that may happen someday. It’s something staring me straight in the face, and it’s not backing down.
The truth is…
It’s growing.
This Sunday feels like a mountain off in the distance – the closer you get to it, the bigger it grows. It’s like a giant gorilla bowed up on a small squirrel, and I’m the fuzzy squirrel.
Squirrels aren’t just fuzzy, spastic creatures that dig holes in your yard.
- They’re bold and daring as they run headfirst down a tree.
- They have incredible vision.
- They have grit – able to land on their feet and survive tough environments.
(I’m not a squirrel expert…I just did a quick search on Wikipedia.)
As Sunday approaches, I want to be bold and daring as we chase after God’s plan for our lives. I want to have vision, seeing beyond what’s happening next week. I want to have grit as we “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6:8)
With that in mind, here are five personal (and completely random) thoughts about Launch Sunday.
Challenges aren’t coming – they’re already here.
I’m an optimist by nature, usually seeing the cup half full. We knew challenges would come one day, but they’re already here.
It’s a challenge when your toddler/pre-k class outgrows their room, but I’m thankful we have so many little lives at Antioch Georgetown. It’s a challenge when we have to shift leaders around on the proverbial bus, but I’m thankful we have gifted leaders. It’s a challenge when people ask questions that I don’t have answers to, but I’m thankful for being stretched beyond my current limits. It’s a challenge when you don’t have a space to use during the week, but I’m thankful to those who open up their homes and the sense of community it fosters.
We’re burdened for the lost.
It’s the why behind what we do. Why do we invest so much time, energy, and resources? Because every life matters. Because someone is walking around somewhere – thinking their life doesn’t matter and the church doesn’t care.
It does matter.
And we do care.
Stephen Castleberry wrote about this here.
What if this doesn’t work?
I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t in the back of my head. I’m walking in boldness, but there is still the presence of fear.
Yes, I know fear is not from the Lord. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Courage is not the absence of fear, but being willing to face it! Or as Jahn Wayne put it, “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.”
Courage is not the absence of fear, but being willing to face it! Click To Tweet
What if this works!?
What if we reap the fruit of our labor? What if people’s lives are transformed by the Gospel and need discipling? What if our small groups double again next semester? What if… What if… What if…
Ok, I’ll stop. I have to daily leave the results in God’s hands. He is the One who produces fruit, He is the One who equips the saints, and He is the one who builds His church!
I’ll just continue to be a co-laborer with Christ.
God is faithful.
The older I get, the more I’m seeing the ever-faithfulness of God. He is answering our prayers. He is even meeting needs we didn’t even know we had.
He is a loving Father who cares for His children. My life, my family, and our church is evidence of this fact.
- We desired to write our own children’s curriculum and He sends people who specialize in children’s curriculum.
- We desired to minister to children and adults with special needs and He sends professionals in that field.
- We desired to broadcast services online through platforms like Apple Podcasts and Facebook Live and He sends a professional videographer.
- We desired to give resources to parents to equip them on raising godly kids and He “randomly” connects us with an editor in chief of a magazine which happens to be a “spiritual parenting resource.”
- We desired for someone to begin working with pre-teens and He sends a family who approaches us about starting a pre-teen class.
Please don’t get the impression that God has laid everything out for us on a silver platter. There are still many things we desire, and God has said “Not yet.”
So, we patiently wait.
We trust God’s plan, we trust God’s timing, and we trust God’s perfect provisions.
We trust God's plan, we trust God's timing, and we trust God's perfect provisions. Click To Tweet