Church Planting

A few months ago Brian encouraged me to keep a journal or a blog documenting our journey as church planters. Trusting his wisdom I got right on that and now several months later here I am.

So let me share my heart today and a little bit of my witness. Several years ago I hit a low point in my life. I was tired and burned out and had all but given up. For several months I sat at home feeling sorry for myself and doing little to nothing for the kingdom. I was confused about a lot that I had been taught all my life that didn't seem to match up with what the bible said so I was just going to set at home and do my own thing. God had different plans and sent people into my families life who loved on us and wanted our family to grow in Christ.

So what does any of this have to do with Pocola? Our heart for sometime has been to reach out to the community we live in. Our heart is to see lost come to a saving understanding of Christ. My heart is  also to see those men and women who are setting at their homes tired and burned out come into a church that loves them and wants to see them grow. I want to see boys grow into men who will lead homes to Christ. I want to see a church be proactive in a community rather than reactive. I want to see older men take accountability for the younger men in their community. I want to see older women show younger women what it means to be a Proverbs 31 woman.

We have seen the beginning of all these things. We have dozens of kids come week in and week out and hear The Gospel. We have seen adults who have been out of church for years come and hear about the saving grace of God. God has just begun to do what He is going to do in this community.

As I was going through my journal the other night I came across something that made me stop for a moment. A little over a year ago our church had a time of fasting that ended with an Awakening event in several locations. I was asked by the church to lead the event in Pocola. Above is the notes I made for the order of service and who was going to be involved. One name on the list was a guy named Brandon Lopez. He was going to lead our worship and I didn't know him from Adam. As I looked at these notes I began to think about all that has happened since that event, which was in the back room of Simple Simon's Pizza. Two months later Lopez was on staff at the church and we were tearing down walls in a store front building to fix up a place for a Pocola church plant to meet. Six months later we had our first service as Cross Community Church Pocola. Six months later on this very night an eight year old boy asked Jesus to be his savior. Something that no one involved really even knew was going to be anything 14 months ago has served it's call. I know this is only the first of many to come. 

The other night Abby reminded me of one of the first songs that we ever hear Lopez sing. We were listening to David Crowder Band and Like a Lion came on. She said "I remember Brandon singing this at Simple Simon's" The words are timely for today.

Let Love explode and bring the dead to life

A love so bold

To see a revolution somehow

Cross Community Church has done that today. The love you have shown for a community has started a revolution in a young boys life.