In the Midst of church planting –
Next week will celebrate 2 years as a church plant. The last two years feel like they have made up most of our lives. There is a small piece of me that realizes the comical truth in that statement, being that we are very young, and our lives have many years left to live. On the other hand, I recognize the amount of meals, nights, mornings, and conversations that have been invested and poured out over those 24+ months.
Throughout these last two years we have seen Christ move in mighty ways. We have seen lives transformed, coffee shops opened, homes purchased in under-resourced neighborhoods for the sake of ministry, church planters built up to be sent out, and college students released as missionaries on campuses, in cities, and beyond. We have seen the enemy attack at every corner and came to the place of physically ending a hard season by selling our home and starting fresh somewhere new. We had greater dreams that we set in motion and God so intricately pulled us out mid-swing. We are seeking the peace and prosperity of this city he sent us to and are praying for the revival we know He wants here.
In the enemy’s attacks we have felt a depth of spiritual warfare that I had not yet experienced; an enemy that was a bit more vested in each decision and each God-sized dream than I could have ever imagined. Today we stand a couple of years older, a bit more aware, hopefully less naive, and just as eager as ever to see the Kingdom come, in Greensboro as it is in Heaven.
I didn’t begin this journey with a theological education. I didn’t step into this role with claims to know it all or have it all together. As a matter of fact, until our last sermon series I was convinced that Jonah was a story about a miraculous God that kept a guy alive while he sat in the belly of a whale. I also developed a reputation in college for giving a final presentation on my favorite Old Testament story: the tearing of the veil. Definitely less than qualified!
As I have been reflecting on the last two years and the beginning of our time in ministry, I sense God repeating the same thing over and over and over again: Our circumstance does not change truth. The goodness of God prevails no matter our situation, no matter our feelings. His truth reigns despite our perspective.
God is still God amidst the cancer, the pain, the loss, the broken marriage, the stillborn child, the heartbreak. He is still God when the bank account is zeroed out and the pantry is empty. He is still God when we prayed for that spouse and we continue to age with no prospects. He is still God when our child gets in the accident or the parents get the diagnosis. So, will we continue to trust? Will we continue to follow? Will we continue to obey? Our circumstance does not create our truth. Our circumstance merely gives us an opportunity to live out truth, despite our reality.
Jordan and her husband, Spencer are in Greensboro, NC. They started the church, United City Greensboro.
