There’s an old recipe for rabbit stew that begins, “First, catch the rabbit…” Though it may seem a bit obvious, at least the writer of the recipe understood the importance of keeping first things first; and when it comes to exercising faith, it’s important to make sure first things really are first in our own hearts.
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LEAP OF FAITH.
image courtesy of CRASH:candy/flickr
“Either we sell the house, or Sarah gets a job. We can’t move to Pittsburgh until then.”
Of course we couldn’t move ‘until then.’ It was the only way ends would possibly meet. It made practical sense, so we dedicated time to trying to sell or rent the house and hunt for work.
But after a couple months, neither the house sold or rented and my wife, Sarah, had yet to get a call for potential employment. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the moment, on my way to the ‘Burgh to look at potential apartments for us, when God clearly spoke to me that he had called us to Pittsburgh and we needed to be *IN* Pittsburgh. I immediately called my wife from the car and said, “I think I’m going to find our new home today, and that we need to move as soon as possible; are you okay with me signing a lease even though you won’t have seen the place?”
Out of gracious faith in God and me as her husband, Sarah’s response was, basically, “Go for it.”
I did find a place, paid a deposit, and planned our move-in day. We wouldn’t be able to sign a lease until we were both present, so we prayed with extra fervency that God would provide a job for Sarah. And nothing changed. Still, we knew it was time to be in Pittsburgh, so, in faith, Sarah and I met in Pittsburgh to sign a lease. On her way into the City, Sarah got a call for an interview. We moved into our Apartment and Sarah got a call for a second interview. Ten days after quitting her job in Carlisle, she started at a new job with better benefits and more pay in Pittsburgh. And this at the height of the Great Recession.
I’m convinced the job wouldn’t have come if we hadn’t taken our leap of faith by moving.
There have been trying times, tests of faith, and incredibly difficult circumstances since then, but God has proven himself ever faithful and has continued to lavish his favor on us. It makes me wonder, what steps of faith are you being called to this week and need to trust that God’s provision will be found on the other side of your obedience?
— This is part three of a series of post recounting God’s faithfulness as we prepare for the Grand Opening of The Bridge. You can find part one here and part two here.
This post is part of a series celebrating some of the incredible ways God has shown his favor in planting The Bridge. You can read the first post here.
image: Sarah Gomez
“Family Fun Day” was the high-water mark of our summer ministry season in 2010. If you read yesterday’s post, you saw some of the cool ways God made a way where there was no way in securing a location at the right time.
But one of the most exciting aspects of the day was seeing how churches from across our district partnered together to see incredible things take place. Here’s an excerpt from an article I wrote earlier about the day:
…during The Bridge’s summer outreach event, a free “Family Fun Day,” held at the end of August when ten of the District’s 28 churches helped provide over 100 volunteers, funding, food, and other supplies which made the day a great success. The Bridge had 425 present at the event, providing open doors of opportunity to develop significant relationships with many in the community; had it not been for the deep partnership of these district churches, the day would not have been possible.
We may never fully know the impact of the selfless giving of people, time, and finances the churches of the WPA District lavished on Pittsburgh, but as the nature of this partnership grows, one thing is for sure: greater things are already here and will continue to be seen in the eternal difference being made in homes, families, and communities.
image: Sarah Gomez
Our partner churches were selfless: they gave financially, gifted material, brought supplies, and invested energy. Their people prayed, provided, and participated in an unprecedented way. Through this army of volunteers, hundreds of people were impacted in a way The Bridge could not have effected by herself. God moved in hearts, individuals, and churches as an incredible expression of his favor on Pittsburgh!
—
The Bridge is having a Grand Opening Celebration this weekend (it’s our ‘official launch’ for those of you who prefer church-planty lingo) and we are incredibly excited. It’s hard to believe the day will actually be here — especially when you stop to consider that a year ago neither the Coxes nor the Gomezes had yet become residents of Pittsburgh and our Launch Team could have been described as ‘embryonic’ at best! In preparation for and celebration of this weekend, I am making it a point to share some of the ways we have seen God’s favor in the adventure of launching The Bridge. So, I’ll be posting one example of this each day from now to Sunday. Here’s today’s:
The Park
Image: Timothy Cox
At the end of August, The Bridge was hosting a “Family Fun Day” as a way to connect with the community. More details about the day will be included in tomorrow’s post, but the biggest hurdle early on was securing a location to hold the event. The park we needed to use didn’t have any openings for the reserved areas; in fact, in the process of looking for open dates, we were told that the park needs to be booked a year in advance and someone else already had the date we needed. We prayed for God to open a door for us to meet at the right place on the right date, thinking this meant somewhere else, maybe at some other time.
But God moved in an unexpected way: the park opened up for the last Saturday of August and we were able to step right in. Even more exciting, the favor shown to us didn’t end there; more than having one pavilion at one end of the park, we were invited to make use of a much larger recreation area including two pavilions and the land between them; we were invited to use large playing courts and given run of the place from water to electricity, from ample parking (when the offer came to have a league softball game rescheduled) to extra trash receptacles. In a moment we went from ‘impossibility’ to ‘blessed beyond measure’ as a path was made for us which we could not have cut ourselves.
As we have sought to be where God is moving, he has demonstrated his exceeding faithfulness. I can’t wait to share more with you in the days ahead!
This past weekend, my generous, amazing, nine-months pregnant wife was willing to let me take the weekend away to spend some quiet time for prayer and solitude. During that time, I felt like my soul was refreshed and that some nuggets of wisdom were given to me to digest…lessons that you may find valuable, too–maybe messages from God’s heart to yours:
- You already have God’s favor–He sent Jesus for you. He desires you. He is FOR you. You don’t need to pursue God’s favor because he isn’t withholding it; it’s freely given.
- You must have more of God’s Spirit–God favors you to the max, but you must have more of his Spirit convicting, encouraging, transforming, enabling, and anointing you. Don’t settle for yesterday’s victories and intimacy.
- Your weakness is a positive game-changer–“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:9, TNIV).
- Your definition of ‘success’ is probably twisted–It seems God’s question for defining success is, “Were you faithful with what I gave you.” Not how famous, big, powerful, dynamic, or amazing you were. Were you FAITHFUL?
- You do not have to change the world or ‘create a movement’–Jesus already did that. Join in what he’s doing and you’ll find success (see above).
- Healing is freely available–Jesus secured your healing and wants to see you made whole, but the process of healing can hurt…so count the cost.
- Sometimes you just need time with your Friend–With no agendas, no big requests, no need to ‘accomplish’ anything, sometimes you just need to spend time with your Friend and King; there is a kind of soul salve that can only be found in times like this.
