Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

Well, so much has happened since we told everyone that I was accepting a position to be associate pastor at North Point Charlotte. God has blown us away in the ways he has provided for our needs. Some may call what has happened coincidence but I don’t believe in coincidences.

The moment Pastor Don told the congregation that we were coming on board, things started happening. The next day, an office and a youth/children/small group space opened up at NO COST to the church! THE NEXT DAY! Then as we started sharing our ministry with people here, sending letters to friends asking them to pray about supporting us through the end of the year, money started coming in from all over the world! Literally! We have been humbled as people who have never met us are contributing to what God is doing here in NW Charlotte. Don will call me every time he goes to the Post Office and gets support checks, no matter how big or small. They are strengthening the faith of us all. There are people in the church who have been giving above their tithes too! We are amazed watching how God is working.

We prayed when we stepped out in faith last November that God would show our children how big He is. I remember growing up in a para-church family how God met our needs and my parents shared those blessings with us. They are what keep me going today. Now we are able to tell our children that people we’ve never met are supporting our ministry. We are able to tell them that their cousins, uncles, grandparents, aunts and uncles believe in what God is doing through us. We feel just as blessed with the $10 check, as much as we do with the larger ones. Our children are so excited to be here. Jacob, who will be 14 next week, gets up every Sunday and helps the set-up crew with the preschool and children’s area (since we meet in a school) and stays for an hour afterwards to tear down. He does this on his own and out of the desire of his heart, not because we make him.  He also serves in the 2 and 3 year old class once a month.  He has a real passion and heart for this age. He is being used by God and it is rewarding for him. Hope gives me plenty of technical advice. Cassandra is her typical self–jumping in and serving in many areas. She is such a help, especially to me.

Two weeks ago, Don called while I was driving to the service to tell me that we had received a large check from a life long friend of Cassandra’s. I told her about it as the service started and she cried because she was so humbled by the generous gift.

This past Sunday was the largest crowd the church has ever had! I’m being stretched in many directions but I love it. I’m able to use the creativity that God has given me. I play guitar at least 2 times a month in the praise band. I also took a group of students to Student Life this past weekend. Most of them have never seen this kind of conference and it was so cool that SL is teaching about our “identity in Christ”, just like we are learning the Grace Life–the intentional discipleship that we teach at North Point. The people at NP are truly missional and most of them don’t even know it. There is a family that was recently rocked with some horrible criminal problems by one of it’s on family members.  This family does not attend North Point, but some of their neighbors do. Most of the neighborhood has been ugly and condemning to the rest of the family. However, we have 4 families from NP that have been reaching out and ministering to this family  This family does not appear to be churched and our NP families are living out the message of God’s love for them, in spite of the horrific situation.

It is such a rush to live on the edge and see how God is working. Thank you for your continuous prayers, support, and words of encouragement as we continue to follow Him on this journey of faith. Have a blessed Easter!

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