That's How God Works (a.k.a. God Plays Too Much)

When doing something as crazy as starting (planting) a church you must be prepared for challenges that test both your faith and resolve. I have been a part of new churches before, so I thought I was prepared for it when it came to Vertical Church. But, of course when it’s your moment, things rarely go the way you plan. One of these tests came recently, and it shook us while reinforcing something we already knew, God plays too much!

We like most church planters have a lot to do with little financial resources. We were getting very low recently, and we were looking for opportunities to increase them. Also, our church needed funds so we could effectively begin our ministry. I was invited to speak at an amazing church in the Washington D.C. area, so we saw some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. In between the two services this church presented us with a $15,000 check for Vertical Church. Awesome! Humbling to be supported and encouraged in this way.

But, the twist came when we returned home. There was a mistake made by the hotel that caused our check card to be accidentally charged and our account had $-130 in the bank. We needed to eat, and our cars needed gas, and this issue would take at least 3 days to be corrected. This was a freak out moment! We flew into action to fix the problem, but we had some immediate needs. With stress and worry creeping in, I told my wife that I couldn’t believe that God would fund our church in this amazing way and allow us personally to go down financially. I choose to believe that God would take care of it. But, emotionally we went from the mountaintop to the valley in days.

The very next day my wife got an email from the organization that manages our ministry fund. We set this up so people could support us as we worked as urban missionaries. This we had a minimal amount that jumped to over $2,700. Mind-blowing! Within 3 days our church had the pre-launch funds it needed, and God provided for my family for another month. It reminded us that this is His story, which He is bringing together, for His church. We simply get to be a part of it.

We don’t fully know what the future hold for our family or for Vertical Church, but we know they are both safe in the arms of our loving Savior. It’s funny to me that God lets us get to freak out moments (when He could have kept it from happening) to come through in a way that He is the sole reason for our success. That is how He works and yes, He plays too much.