| Mondays are usually reserved for sleep, sometimes lament, always contemplation, occasional resignation and ever-present wishes for a do over for pastors. But not this Monday!! I sit here in my new office today after our Grand Opening of our new facility yesterday with our amazing community of faith, poring over the miracles of the last nine weeks and I have to say, this is my BEST MONDAY EVER. Just want to give my Heavenly Dad some props for His amazing work. Our first Sunday in The Keys, with another church family, was attended by 12 persons. In the intervening months we have seen a dead end, a re-calibration, an adjustment, a new identity, then a committed season of one year of nothing but discipleship meetings, conversations and prayer. On Easter of this year we decided to go public again but almost immediately (May) was informed that we were losing our only meeting place we had ever known. In June we found a new facility, put out the challenge to our little congregation of about 60 and in 30 days raised $28,000 cash and spent every dime to rehabilitate this corroded, six year vacant, facility that was formerly an SDA church. We finished getting it ready at 1:30am Sunday morning for our 9:30am service. When our 6:30pm service ended at about 7:50pm last night we were spent, but amazingly happy. Today, even more so. One of the miracle stories went like this.... Crazy how God shows off.... So, I felt God tell me to give a missionary in Latin America our weekly salary a couple of weeks ago, but I was two days later than normal making my deposit. That meant that I went to the bank on Wednesday instead of Monday. While at Bank of America making the deposit into the missionaries acct I begin a conversation with the guy next to me in line. He had been talking to the teller about how he picks up women. He is about 35, single, moved to The Keys two years ago, homeless and unemployed. He arrived from Costa Rica (he is American) after losing all he had there in a business venture and had $275,000 in debt. Since coming here, he has paid off all his debts and started four businesses in other parts of Florida. He said, All I do now is make bank deposits. After telling him about Sherry and I coming here to start Bluewater he tells me he has heard of it and asked if I believed in the Power of God. Of course, I said YES! Well, yesterday, he shows up at Bluewater for our service and just seems to completely enjoy worship, then he friends me on Facebook in the afternoon and then...our treasurer asks me later, 'Do you know J ? I told him the story and he says to me, Well, he dropped $800 in the offering today. IF I had not listened to God about giving to that missionary, then had not been late getting my deposit in, then had not gone to the bank at that exact moment...I would never have met Jay and he would not have been here and I would NOT have a new friend. Moments like that have punctuated our two months.Then, a pastor I had met 12 years ago, who pastors a congregation of about 20,000 people, ended up purchasing a second home here in our community of Tavernier. We ran into each other at a local coffee shop, connected, then took our wives out to dinner together and shared stories for 2 1/2 hours. He's come by and given some great feedback and promise of involvement. Then, another guest yesterday is a long-time Keys resident who hosts a national cable network hunting and fishing program. He was here as a guest and said he was not a church-goer, but this got his attention. You never know if he'll ever show back up, but we will be in touch with him today. Yesterday, over 130 people walked through the doors, with about a 20% (22 people doubled up on both services) and loads of new faces. I have pastored two much larger churches in the past and had two large campuses to steward, but there is no place like this place and no people like these people. I'm in love with Jesus today. Just wanted to let it out Live an epiK life!Discover More...http://www.refocusing.orgA Mission in Formationwww.bluewaterinthekeys.com |