One year ago today I was in Kansas City attending the North American Christian Convention. I flew home to Chicago in the evening with plenty of time to catch the tail-end of a 4th of July party my neighbors were throwing. I didn't tell anyone that night but it was now clear to me that God wanted me and my family to move to KC to help start a church.
I had traveled to Kansas City to attend the NACC Convention. Our church planting team (then called Reachout KC) was just beginning to make the transition to KC. Troy and Janet were moved to KC later that month. Josh and Matt moved in August; Tommy and Jessica in September. I felt that I needed to make a decision about the direction of my journey.
Before the convention, I was still wrestling with what road to take. Two very distinct paths lay before me: A) Leave the corporate world, raise support for my salary, move my family, take a HUGE leap of faith and help start a church or B) Remain in Chicago safely employed, take the next promotion, continue to make a decent living, and do something for God 'later.'
But God whispered into my heart that weekend. Hanging out with the team, seeing the city, hearing about all of the support our project was receiving, and praying, well, I just knew that to say no to KC would be a mistake. Moreover, I would be disobedient to God. Since being transformed by God, I had learned that obedience was the key to spiritual growth. The road I should take became clear.
You see, the convention was the beginning the of the end for me. That evening on the flight home I recall a prompting in my spirit: "you had better start getting ready to live in KC."
Several of the most difficult months of my life lay ahead. The transition was hard on me and my family. We had to say good-bye to friends and family. The sale on our house fell through and we wouldn't sell it until the Fall. I was very concerned about finishing well at my job. I had no idea where my support was going to come from. I recall praying ALL of the time and burying myself in scripture. I clinged to God in those weeks after the convention.
Everything turned out fine of course. And now, as Troy told me, I have a front-row seat to watching all that God does at Restore.
Funny how different things can be in a year.
Obedience to God is my story and I am sticking to it.