It's been over a month since my wife and I moved to Chicago. It's been longer since I sent out any official update. And as I sit here thinking how exactly to describe what has happened in that time I am reminded of our very first weekend here in the city.
My wife and I took a walk along the beach of Lake Michigan that first Sabbath. She was surprised to see trees on the beach. She lived on the East Coast her whole life and so her experience of beaches was the ocean. Most trees do not do well with salt water. Her surprise caused me to stop and actually look at the tree. I was instantly reminded of Psalm 1. As I think back over this past month I realize that it is when I delight in the Lord that I am blessed and at peace.
I feel I should pause here and state that I have never liked the idea of simply giving updates. I understand that something like this is a great way to give information to a large number of interested people. But I feel like there should be more to it than just information. So in this update and in every one that will come, I will seek to not only describe what we see God doing here in Chicago, but to also encourage, exhort, and bless you. My hope is that you will not only know a little more about what is happening with us, but that you will also grow deeper in your understanding of God.
A God Who Provides
In my update from August I stated that we didn't have jobs or a place to live, but I also stated that God ALWAYS comes through. And come through He did. So much happened that I know I will forget some things. I will try to sum up what God has done, but if you want more about how God provided before we even moved you can watch my sermon on it here.
Within a day of posting that update my wife received an offer letter from a Christian non-profit in downtown Chicago. We were able to find an amazing apartment on the north side of Chicago. We were able to find our place only because of our leasing agent. We met him because we looked at a different property. Perhaps the most striking thing about our apartment is that the people leasing it were praying for God to send them the right tenants. We were praying for God to provide us a place to live and they were praying for God to provide them with Godly people.
Our goals currently are not centered on looking for spaces, or getting non profit status. Our goals are centered on people.
On the day we moved in I crushed my finger making moving furniture painful. Yet, God had already taken care of us. Our leasing agent suggested that we use a moving app. Through that app we were able to hire movers. Movers who agreed to stay an extra hour to finish moving us in.
I spent the next several weeks looking for work. Our goal was for me to start work by October 1st. I received an offer letter for a tech support company at the end of September. However, the start date was not until November 1st. This was not our plan, but it was God's plan. We have had to change some things, but God has provided for us financially during this time. But more importantly this extra time meant that I was able to attend the Amplify Conference in the suburbs of Chicago. This was a much needed lift. It stoked the fire of church planting, and provided me time to spend with other pastors from the denomination.
Building Relationships
The vision that God has given me and my wife is for a church built around relationships. We have felt from the beginning that any church must be part of the community. This means that our goals currently are not centered on looking for spaces, or getting non profit status. Our goals are centered on people. The past month has been a time where we have sought to build those relationships.
Our apartment is actually the second floor of a two story house. The other tenant in the house a single mother. From the day we moved in we have wanted to build relationship with her. For various reasons that did not happen for the first few weeks. Just when I was starting to think that we were never going to have any interaction with her, God provided the space. Our first real meeting with her happened on her back porch as we were going up to our apartment with take-out.
I am at peace when I drink from God. I am blessed because God blesses me.
That's how God works. We have intentions. We make plans. But the things of God so often happen naturally. I had been focused on forcing a meeting, but God's intention was for us to have a conversation about take-out and vegan cookies. My wife was thrilled to find out that she was vegetarian and not vegan. The next week she made cookies and we delivered them to the delight of her kids. We also made plans to sit on the front porch and hand out candy on Halloween.
Shortly after moving in I went out to coffee with our leasing agent. I wanted to thank him for everything he had done for us. Not only did he show me around the neighborhood (he lives here too), but I found out that his work in real estate has gained him contacts among businesses and local government. In our leasing agent God has proved a means for us to get to know exactly what our neighborhood needs.
The Steadfast Love of the Lord
As I said at the beginning, my intention with writing this is not merely to give information. I write this to boast in God. I want you to see how God was already moving in Chicago. I want you to see how God has been faithful to us. I am declaring, like the Psalmist, of the steadfast love of the Lord. I write this to show you that I did not do any of this. I am like that tree from Psalm 1. I am at peace when I drink from God. I am blessed because God blesses me. The times when I tried to make things happen, I was stressed. Yet, when I stop and rest. I realize that God supplies all my needs.
I hope this is an encouragement to you. I hope you see that God never buys something He can't pay for. If God is telling you to do something, know this. God WILL provide. It may not be the way you think. But if you sit and drink of Him, you will find that God gives you exactly what you need.
May you drink of the streams of living water. May you rest in the blessings of God. May you abide in the vine. And may God bring your blessings and peace.
AMEN
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