Why did we do this?

Though this decision hurts us in the short term, caused us to re-do our entire budget, and will effect what kind of house we can buy, we felt it was the right decision based on our long term goals.  Making this move will free me up to quit the day job and dedicate that time to starting the church in the future.  Switching insurance now also puts us in an ultimately better place for whenever Katy and I decide to expand our family.

I have usually been one to turn down long term benefits for immediate results.  I’ve always held back putting too much into a retirement account so I would have more cash now.  At times I’ve slept with my contacts in because even though this may someday come back to get me, it was more convenient in the short term to not take them out.

But now I have to change the way I think.  There is a vision in mind for how I want life to be and I must make what will ultimately be the best decisions in regards to that long term vision, not just my current level of comfort.

When we discover something we really want we must make sacrifices.  And almost all of those sacrifices come in the form of giving up something now for the hope of something better in the future.  So even though it hurts, switching insurance has been just one of the tough choices we have made as we focus on our future dreams more than our present wants.

I think when you want something really bad you should take action steps toward it.  If you do that and after a while realize you still feel good about it and like it’s the right thing to do then keep going.  In Christian world we talk a lot about God opening doors but that cannot happen until we start walking.  So just the fact that I have taken steps toward starting the church and all along the way felt like it was the right thing to do in and of itself is a pretty good reason to keep going.

I wrote a blog entry a while ago (and you can read it by clicking here) about following the peace.  Someone taught me a while back that we will sense an underlying peace if we are walking where God wants us to.  By following the peace we can know we are doing the right thing, even if it’s risky, dangerous, crazy, whatever.

Another thing that has added to the peace I feel is the support I’ve received.  I have been impressed at the number of people who have shown interest in and offered support for the church plant.  There are even two couples who have expressed some interest in joining us and being potential ministry staff as we launch.  This is extremely encouraging as well as challenging in that I must lead and cast the vision to those who follow.  If things like that were not happening I would be tempted to think I was failing and that the lack of interest was a sign that I’m out of God’s will.

But I believe God is honoring the steps I am taking and causing encouraging things to happen.  All of those, as well as my personal walk with God, have brought me a great peace that I’m right where God wants me.

The same is a great measure for anyone in any situation.  Step back and determine how much peace you have about what you are doing.  It may help you realize if you are in the right place or not.  And if you have that peace, it can serve as a great motivator.

The first answer I have to why we are planting a church is the spiritual answer.  It’s because God told me to.  And I fully believe this is the case.  I lived in Chattanooga for three years as I went to college there and did not like the city.  I thought it was over-hyped, dirty, and that downtown was unsafe (we actually heard gun shots and decided to go home one afternoon I was hanging out downtown with some friends).

Since moving 25 miles south though, I take every opportunity I can to get up to Chattanooga.  My heart beats faster as I drive into the city.  God works through the desires of our hearts and he has caused mine to fall in love with Chattanooga.

Years ago I had told some people that if I ever started a church it would be at the Georgia/Florida border.  God showed me He had other plans.  He also changed my plans again as I was set to launch our church away from downtown, near the Hamilton Place Mall area.  God broke my heart for the people of downtown and again solidified what He is doing in me that connects me to the city of Chattanooga.

Planting in Chattanooga is just my first step of obedience.  But if I want God’s blessings to follow, I must continue to obey as He leads.  That is the biggest reason we are putting the church where we are.

So in part one of this short blog series I simply answered by saying “I don’t know” – and I don’t.  So many things are yet to be determined.  In this part I will run the risk of being ambiguous again by saying that I don’t think it really matters what kind of church we start.  Again, that’s assuming those who have asked that question have very detailed things in mind.

Will we have modern, “contemporary” music?  Yes

Will we allow people to dress casually and provide coffee?  Yes

Will we be associated with a particular denomination?  We are still determining that

Those are the questions I find most people are really asking with their sweeping inquiry to the “kind” of our church.  But those are things we will do.  I believe it is not so important what a church does, but why they are.  In my book, I call this “be not do.”

If we are truly open to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, then how in this world could I sit here and type in all that our not yet existent church will do nine, five, or even one year from now.  Sure, there are some models we will be consistent to and other practices and structures we will use because I have found them to be most productive, but I will not pretend to predict the future by telling you the ministries we will have, the way discipleship will look for us, or what a Sunday morning service will look like for us – because I don’t even know yet!

What I can tell you is who we will be.  Freedom Church of Chattanooga will be a church committed to reaching out and accepting those who no one else in our community is successfully trying to reach.  We will be a church dedicated to and involved in our community.  We will be good stewards of the people, money, and resources that God is going to entrust us with and we will handle all matters of business and ministry with integrity that is above reproach.

We know who we are going to be.  As long as we stay true to who God has called us to be, what we specifically do will not matter, and yet at the same time will be effective.  If our focus becomes our actions over our character, we will fail every time, either physically or morally.  But as we seek God’s vision for who we are to be, we will carry out whatever He has for us in whatever way it takes so long as we don’t violate our identity.  That’s who we are.  That’s who we are going to be!

Something I have been receiving from God is that I am good enough.  Not that I could or should ever think I can do anything great without Him, but that He can use me just as greatly as He has used any of those I admire.  In months past it was really difficult for me to meet with great church leaders or experienced ministry “professionals.”  I felt as though I should be accepting everything they had to say and was no one to be disagreeing with them.  I would always walk away grateful for the advice, but still knowing that some of what they said was not true to my personal vision.

A repeated phrase though that I have heard from many I respect is that “you must fight for your vision.”  I have had young, old, traditional, and contemporary church leaders express the importance of not allowing others to derail or cloud what God has put on my heart.  Some have even advised I be “mean” about my vision.  It took some growth on my part though to come to the point where I felt I could humbly, yet boldly, determine that if what I feel called to is truly going to be my vision, and if I’m going to be the one who holds to it and leads a ministry to carry it out, I have to believe in myself and recognize that I am good enough.  I may see others as better than myself, but if I know I have heard from God about what is the call for me and my specific ministry, then that’s what I must stick to if I’m going to be obedient.

If God’s sees us as good enough to put a call on our lives, we must see ourselves as good enough to pursue it.

The book serves as an unbiased motivation and evaluation with which to learn how to clarify, communicate, and build towards your dream.  The most important thing you can do with a dream is to continually put both yourself and it up for evaluation.  Make a list of your habits and strengths to make sure you are moving in the right direction.  According to what it is and how big it is, let other people in on your dream so they can help you, point out flaws, or perhaps serve as resources for your dream.

Dreams can be scary if you actually think about following them and they will always lead to hard work.  Dreams change you though.  They give you meaning and a better story.  Rather than admire others or claim “they” always get the breaks, dreams compel us to step out and accomplish something that will either inspire others or cause them to envy us.

Think about how much better your life could be if you chose to quit your job and pursue the career of your dreams.  Or speak up and take a stand for a relationship that is important to you.  Or finally take that mission trip because you think it’s what God wants you to do.  How much more peace would you have?  How much more meaning would your life have?  Would you still lay down at night feeling insignificant or would you know you are pursuing something great.

It’s life change folks, and it’s great!!

In chapter three of Put Your Dream To The Test, John Maxwell says, “People who achieve success love what they do and do it well.”  It was a breakthrough for me in high school when I realized that the way God was leading me was through the desires He was putting in my heart.  Doesn’t it make sense that we are going to try to become good at what we like?  And we are going to want to do the things we like?  So won’t we be most content and efficient to do that which we enjoy?  In making that happen we become deeply connected with our dream so that it is not just what we do from nine to five, but it’s who we are.

We then build and work toward that dream in continuous small steps.  We should examine our habits.  Whatever our dream is, it’s not going to just happen one day.  We have to use the talents, materials, and time that are within our possession and control to work toward our goal.

When that begins to happen our dream creates momentum to where we begin to see progress but may still be nervous about our future or the security we may loose if we fully commit to whatever it is we are pursuing.  Chapter four addresses this by asking if our dream is so real to us that it compels us to follow it.  Maxwell says, “to succeed in life we must stay within our strength zone but continually move outside our comfort zone.”  This is where things get hard.  For me, I feel in some ways I am in that place now and it can be quite scary at times.  But this is where our passion must come in.  The vision of our dream making us a better person or causing change in our work, family, or world must cause there to be enough passion to get us out of our comfort zones.  Because if passion doesn’t pull us out into the unknown, nothing will.

That thought leads into chapter five which was great for me because it talked about setting goals and making plans for your dream.  I love making plans!!!  And having them is important in pursuing something.  A dream may be one big idea or vision but goals are necessary in getting there.  The dream is the “what” and the goals are the “how”.  If you’re ever going to get others to buy in to your goal, you are going to have to be able to explain what your goals and plans are for achieving it.  And getting others to jump on board is exactly what was discussed next in the book and is also where I struggle the most.

Check back tomorrow!

While reading the first few chapters of Put Your Dream To The Test, author John Maxwell’s words had me focusing in on not only my dream, but my thoughts toward my dream.  And did I even have a dream.  Rejecting the notion of dreaming and accusing others of living in fantasy land is exactly what causes most people to live lives of quiet desperation.  On the inside the average man wants more but thinks it is either beyond his right or his ability to get, have, and do more than the average.  In dreaming though it is not about the quantity of what we get, but the quality of what we want.

What do we want out of life?
How do we want to make a difference?

First we must recognize whether or not we have a dream.  Then lay out what it is.  Then evaluate it.  Is it my dream?  When did I begin wanting this?  Did I inherit it from someone else?  Am I getting paid to have this as my dream?  If you say yes to the last two questions it’s probably not really YOUR dream.  So figure that out.  And if you determine it is yours, invest in it.  Put some pressure on yourself.  Throw some chips in on your dream so that you are invested in it and forced to be committed to it.  This could mean buying an item to get yourself started or making your dream public so others will watch your progress.

With my dream, I found myself waiting for “the ok” to go.  I’m not sure where I expected that permission to come from but was hit hard when I read that such permission can only come from myself.  Here I was being the biggest hindrance to what I wanted.

Once we realize it is ok to go, we immediately begin changing.  It’s not just reaching our goal, but the entire journey towards it that molds who we are and what we want.  The journey turns us into better people.  It’s not that only great people can follow their dreams, but ordinary people who follow their dreams often times do great things.

So what is your dream?  Could you describe it to me?  Is it what you really want?  Are you laying it out clearly so others can understand it?

The introduction went on to present the reasons many of our dreams slip away as well as the necessity of living with a dream.  Maxwell states that those who don’t have a compelling dream are in danger of having their lives slip away.  I have learned that if you don’t decipher what you want for your life and then go after it, someone else will.  That’s when we find ourselves old and miserable because we have been doing someone else’s work for someone else’s vision and contributed nothing to what gives us meaning and contentment.  Many allow life to close up on their dreams though, believing such things are only for the rich, famous, or fortunate when those of us who have true burning dreams cannot help but long to follow them despite the risks.  And I believe that it is those who dare to do so and succeed who most of the time become the rich, the famous, and the fortunate.  “You can’t reach for a dream and remain safely mediocre at the same time” (pg. xvi).  That quote scares many in our security-driven culture but I believe it also motivates some, most likely those who will go on to lead fulfilling, meaningful lives.

The introduction of the book ends with Maxwell listing why so many give up on their dreams.  I had to take this list as a personal check sheet as those who enter half-hearted, insecure, or only looking for the material reward will most likely fail.

So much to say and I’m not even to chapter one yet!