Master Planner

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs‬ ‭16:9‬ (‭NIV)‬‬

I think I’ve told you before that I am a planner. I remember when my kids were teenagers they’d suggest something they wanted to do and I’d say “We can’t do that today. We have this planned.” My son got into the habit of saying “Well, let’s just do what yyooouuuu want to do” emphasizing the ‘you’ to make his point.

As I look back, I think I was pretty rigid with my plans. I made them. We did them and I didn’t like it when they changed. I look at my life now and marvel. Somehow, even though my tendencies are to want to plan and stick with the plan, my life has not turned out like that.

Right now, I am working on a project at work that constantly changes. I’ll have meetings scheduled for it and they may or may not happen. We are planting a church and so far most of it has been me asking God “What’s the next step?” The overall impression I am getting is that for this, we are doing it one step at a time. One step, when He’s ready. Not a lot of advance planning.

Don’t get me wrong. Planning is not a bad thing. I still plan. What I think I am learning is to not worship the plan but the Master Planner. I am learning that no matter what I plan, if God interrupts it, His plan is always better than mine.

There are days when my schedule is packed so tight, I can’t imagine how it’s going to work. He intervenes and things cancel or they move. I breathe a sigh of relief. Other days things happen that are very stressful. I don’t like it. Both days I try to look up and say “It’s your day. What do you want to do?”

I’m still not great at being flexible with the plan but I’m learning. Each day I pray and say “Let’s just do what YYYOOOOUUUU want to do.” And I mean it.

Believe

“You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Luke 1:45 (NLT)

Can I tell you a God Story? As I’ve posted in the past, we are planting a church. We’ve picked a name. We are “Called2Be”. We’ve been meeting since April 1st (virtually). Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor! During our meetings we pray and study the Bible. In July, we felt God say it’s time for an in person. We had a picnic. It was great!

During this time, we’ve been praying about where God wants us to “Be” community. Where can we serve? Where can we go and love on people. When I was praying about this, I kept seeing a building. It had a sloping roof in the front, and a porch. I also saw the back door and when you looked through it, there was a hallway with doors on both sides, and a bright light coming through the other end. I sensed that the front was a restaurant.

It took me a while to figure out that I kept seeing this same building. And I wondered “God, is this you showing me this?” I wondered that out loud to my husband and we started praying. We asked God if it was him sending this to please show us where the building was located.

In the meantime, I ask God what we should do for our next gathering. I heard prayer walk. Now, I probably shouldn’t say this out loud, being a Church Plant Pastor and all, but I’ve never gotten into the Prayer Walk thing. I’ve done it. And there are times when I felt God telling me to prayer walk someone’s house and I did that but overall, not my first choice of activities. But I said “OK. Where?” Nothing.

I kept praying for where and praying that God would show me the building. Eventually God said Called2Be was supposed to prayer walk Purcellville, VA. And like an obedient child I said “God, that’s kind of far away.” Don’t judge me. And then I said “OK. Purcellville it is.” In the meantime, I kept praying about the building.

One Monday, I felt impressed to drive to Purcellville on Wednesday. I had meetings for work strategically placed throughout the day so if I drove to Purcellville I would be rushed. I explained this to God. Late Tuesday evening, the Wednesday morning meeting cancelled.

I got in my car and I drove to Purcellville. I drove all over asking God to show me the building. Asking him which way and trying very hard to listen. Finally, I was getting tired of going all around the little town, up and down the main street and I asked if I could go home. He said yes. I turned my car around to head out of town on Main Street and as I was leaving I passed a building that caught my eye. I didn’t noticed it the 100 times (okay, maybe 4 or 5 times) I drove up and down that street because of the trees in front of it. I turned around and went in the parking lot.

It had a sloping roof and a front porch. “Oh God! It’s your building!” I parked the car and looked in the front door. The building was empty. There is a big For Sale or Lease sign in the front. It used to be a brewery/pub. I walked around to the back door on the side of the building. I looked through the door and I saw a hallway with doors on both sides and a bright light coming through the other end. Turns out it has two back doors. One on each side of the building.

I can’t begin to explain the feelings I had as I realized that God took me to His building. And guess what?! I prayer walked it! I prayed all around that building. That Saturday, Called2Be prayer walked it again and the main street of Purcellville.

I’ve been back to prayer walk it again. I want to hear what God wants and ask him to move. We are all praying! What’s next, God? What’s next?

This weekend I was on a Leadership Meeting for our Mother Church and the Pastor told us that her husband plays in a praise band at another church. The Pastor told her husband that there is a building in Purcellville that is vacant. It used to be a brewery and he feels like God is telling him he needs to do something for the community in that church! These are the same thoughts I’ve been having.

God is doing something. Not sure what yet but I can’t wait to find out! Will you pray with us? Pray for this little down of Purcellville, VA. Pray that people there will know God’s love. Pray that we will share that love in service to the community. Pray for all of our courage. When God moves, it usually takes you out of your comfort zone.

And where did today’s text come from? As all this was happening, I kept thinking “This is crazy. Is this you God or is this my crazy mind thinking things up? And why are you doing this? And what do you want? And this is just crazy. People are going to think I’m crazy when I tell them I saw a building and then found it but I don’t know what to do with it.” And God sent the text above and a few others about believing. Believe. He is alive. He is moving. Believe. I do. With all of my heart.

Dangling Secure

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

Not sure if I shared this with you but our church is doing a 40-day fast. We started Easter weekend. As I was praying about how to fast, I was also reading this book called Dangerous Prayers: Following Jesus was never meant to be safe by Craig Groeschel. Great book. Somewhere in the book he talked about a routine of praying about how to step out in faith every day. And that became my fast. Each day, I ask God how I can step out in faith that day and I do what I think he is telling me.

At first, it was easier. Email this person. Reach out and talk to so and so. Introduce this idea. Move forward with this business idea. Then, it started getting harder. And I could begin to see a problem. The problem wasn’t in what God was asking, the problem was in my response.

One day, I was praying about some training I wanted to attend for ministry. I’ve gone before and God always uses this training to grow me as a leader and in my walk with him. Funds are tight though so I was thinking maybe I shouldn’t go. I believe I heard God say I needed to go. My mind wandered back to “there isn’t any money”. And then, I heard him say to submit the form to sign up. (You submit the form and pay a little later.)

As I was praying, I found myself saying “Well, if you submit the form and then the money doesn’t come through, how are you going to pay for it?” I started pondering ways to "make this work”, just in case. And then I clearly saw the problem.

You are not taking a step of faith if you walk to the edge of the cliff and build a barrier around the edge to keep you safe. You are not taking a step of faith if you are doing something you can handle on your own. And if you are figuring out ways to “make it work”, you are doing it, not God. You cannot keep one foot on the ground and the other dangling over the edge. When we do this, we are still relying on our footing, not God’s miracles. That might be faith but it is faith in what I can figure out, not trusting what God will do.

You know the really sad thing. When I have faith in my plans, I totally miss the heart-pounding excitement when I see God move….because I don’t see him move. I see me move. Seeing me move isn’t nearly as much fun! I want to see amazing miracles and in-explainable outcomes! I want to see God in all his glory doing what he does best…take my breath away!

So I submitted the form. I don’t have a plan. I have no idea what’s going to happen but I am not relying on my own understanding. I am acknowledging that God’s got this and I can’t wait to see what he does.

Faith Shared

All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. Hebrews 11:39-40 (NLT)

We reach the end of Hebrews 11 and find out that all the people who have gone before us didn’t receive all that God had promised. The result of their faith was not complete. And if I am reading this correctly, it’s because we weren’t there yet. He wants us to realize perfection as well.

This makes a lot of sense. As the people that went before us walked the paths God gave them, they were in the thick of it. They were fighting battles, dealing with sickness, stuck in Lion’s dens, beaten and jailed. They faced all sorts of trials. When they were facing those trials, I am pretty sure they didn’t stop and say “Well, I will face this with faith so Elaine can read about it later and be encouraged.” 

They faced it because they believed in God and what he would do. The awesome thing about that though is the result of that faith. When they walked in faith, their example radiated to all those near them and to us many lifetimes later. 

Our acts of faith are never meant just for us. They are meant to glorify God which then impacts all those around us. Being faithful, living your faith each day has a deeper purpose than just getting us through the messy stuff. It is to be shared so that we can share Jesus (even if just in our response to life’s problems) with other people.

Not Dead Yet

Though Abraham was practically dead, from this one man came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, as many as the numberless grains of sand on the seashore. Hebrews 11:12 (GNT)

I have to be honest. When I read this text I thought of the Monty Python I’m Not Dead Yet scene in The Holy Grail where they are going through each town picking up the dead. One man is slung over someone’s shoulder yelling “I’m not dead yet!” This made me laugh.

When this text says that Abraham was practically dead (it is translated similarly in other versions), it is referring to his ability to reproduce. God promised him a son and at age 99, he still had not had one. Sarah was 90. She was also physically unable to have children. So what do you do when God has promised something and it looks impossible? When you look at the situation and there is no human possibility it can happen? When you are too old? When your schedule/finances/location are shouting “NO!”?

You do what Abraham and Sarah did. You realize that you are not dead yet and if God says it’s going to happen, you do your part. Isaac was not immaculately conceived (if you know what I mean). Sarah and Abraham had to do their part even though from everything they could see, this was physically impossible. 

They did their part and then God did his part and his part made the impossible possible. 

Isn’t that what God asked them? Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14)  Obviously, since Isaac was born the next year, the answer to that question is a resounding NO! 

This is the lesson for us today. We are not dead yet. When God asks us to do something, we need to remember that even though it looks impossible to us; it is always possible for God. We need to do our part.

A Minute In It - Faith-Walking

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the post..

4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. 12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. Hebrews 11:4-19 (NLT)

Look at the examples of faith listed in this chapter, when these people were called to do these extraordinary things, do you think they could see the outcome that God provided in advance?

What would you do if you were asked to do any of these things?

What motivated them to live their faith?

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you now? What is he calling you to do?

Faith Alive

Abraham reckoned that God was able to raise Isaac from death—and, so to speak, Abraham did receive Isaac back from death.  ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:19‬ ‭GNT‬‬

We each have a different level of faith. Some of us have faith because we believe in God. We believe he exists. We believe that when we choose Jesus, we will have eternal life. We believe that heaven is going to be way better than here. We have all sorts of doctrinal beliefs and we have faith in those. 

Sometimes though, I think that is where our faith ends. It’s intellectual. It’s not alive. 

When God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, do you think he had this kind of conversation with himself? What, you don’t have conversations with yourself?  😊

Abraham: God asked me to sacrifice Isaac. This can’t be right. Why would he wait all those years to give me this promise that he clearly said would be the fulfillment of his promise to me to be the father of many nations only to take it away? Why would he give me a son to take care of, to grow close to, to love only to have me kill him? This does’t sound right. 

I imagine that Abraham prayed a lot about this and wrestled with God. He finally came to this.

Abraham: God, I trust you. I’ve seen your hand in my life over and over again. I will do this thing that you are asking me to do. I don’t want to, but Lord, I know who you are. I know you can raise Isaac from the dead. I know you will fulfill the promise you made to me because you can’t do anything else. It goes against who You are.

You see, Abraham knew God. He knew who he was and that caused him to live out his faith. Abraham’s faith was not just intellectual. It was lived out. He walked it day by day trusting in God. 

How is your faith? If God called you to do something that was outside the realm of your comprehension, would you do it? Will you know in your heart that God will take care of it? And most importantly, will you walk the walk of faith and step out following God’s lead?

Unseen but There

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.  ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭(GNT)‬‬

I don’t know about you but I hope for a lot. I am always thinking of things I want. I guess a more accurate statement would be that I am always thinking of how I want things to be. I think of plans, how great it would be if things were _________________ (fill in the blank.)

But life rarely looks like how I imagine it. I read today’s verse and want to fill in my blanks. I can’t stop there though, I have to dig a little deeper. 

Faith isn’t just hoping for things. It isn’t believing that the things I want will come to pass. It’s about walking the walk of faith.

For example, if I am in the middle of a problem; pick one. Could be loss of a job, a difficult health diagnosis, trouble with a child, someone being divisive and hurting me or my loved ones. Really, pick any problem. I can sit here and hope for better things and I can be certain they things are going to look like I want them to at some point….even if I can’t see it.

But it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes, God allows things that hurt. He allows the difficult trials and heart wrenching events. He does this for our growth. 

That, I think is the thing we have to believe in. We can believe that God is good and that no matter what is happening in our life, he is in the middle of it. We can believe that he only wants our best and sometimes to get there, we have to experience a “worst.” The character that grows and the trust that blossoms from having to go to him when you can’t do anything else, those are more important to him than things being easy. 

He is more interested in your final destination than your momentary happiness. Another thing we can believe even though we can’t always see it? Jesus is in the middle of all of it with you. He has not left you to figure it out. He will not abandon you during the process. He is with you. He is leading and fighting for you - even though you might not be able to see it. You are loved.

Believing that, leaning into that....especially during the hard times…...that is faith.