Maybe this is a confession story. As a child I had a very vivid imagination and would spend countless hours jumping around the house or backyard pretending to live my dreams out. For a reason unknown to me I could not engage my imagination without jumping around holding a stick. No doubt my parents must have been a little concerned about their child who spent most his time running and jumping around the backyard with a stick and who knows what the neighbors thought. I guess this is what happens when you do not have a video game console in your house. But, it was in this time and space that the world of my imagination was at my finger tips. With a stick in hand I could slay dragons, win Super Bowls, save the cute girl, and drop a massive bull elk with one clean shot. I am embarrassed to say how late in life I continued to do this so please don’t ask Stefanie. Sometimes I will pick up a stick and think to myself “this would be a great stick to jump with.” Why did I love jumping so much? I could take any dream and live it out and the cool thing was it always turned out my way. At the end of the day I was the hero.
As I have grown older I’ve realized that it is sort of sad that many of my dreams have the same ending…I am the hero, the successful hunter, the guy who everyone likes, the church planter who did what he set out to do. Maybe you dream in a similar way. As I look within the pages of the Bible there are many heros but the big picture, the big story, reveals a focus on just One. There is only one true Hero.
What if we were to dream differently?
If I really am the hero of the dream then the dream is pretty sad. On the other hand, if I dream in the truth that Jesus is the Hero and that He has invited me into His story, that dream is much bigger than my life. It is exciting but I am finding it is kinda hard. I like being the lead guy. I have to be more aware to step out of the main frame. I must stop talking myself up and start pointing people to the Main Character of this great story.
Though I have found this type of dreaming to be difficult at times it brings tremendous relief because…I don’t have to save the day (not like I could anyway).
When I mess up, He doesn’t. When I am tired and weak, He is still all-powerful. When I don’t know, He is all knowing. When I sin, He is sinless. When I fail and let people down, He is completely faithful. He saves, I do not. And thank goodness. It is taking me a while but I think I can get used to simply being cast as an “extra” instead of the lead part.
So what have you been dreaming about lately?
My dream for quite some time has been to help give leadership to a new church. God is slowly but surely revealing His plan for this dream. Vision is becoming a little clearer and a few people are starting to come together. Please, join us in prayer as we faithfully pursue God’s will for this new church. We continue to face various obstacles along the way but feel like we have received the encouragement needed to keep stepping forward.
May we dream to be a faithful extra and may we invite others into the greatest story ever!
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Praise: the car that was loaned to me through August has been extended for a longer amount of time!
2. Future Job: We have increased support, which is awesome, but it looks like I will still need to get at least a part-time job maybe as soon as October. Please pray that I can find work that will allow the freedom to finish up residency and time to focus on the future church.
3. People of Peace: We have been praying that God would introduce “People of Peace” (Read Luke 10:1-12) in the Gladstone area. We have identified two potential people in the community! Hopefully, I will be meeting with them in the next few weeks. Pray that God would open doors.
4. Marriage and Family: Please continue to pray for Stefanie and me as we head down this road. I hear countless stories of church planters who had a very dark time in their marriage during the early years of planting. Stefanie and the kids are among my greatest gifts and strengths — please pray for our protection.
Love you guys and thanks for journeying with us!
Chris
Church Plant Journey 