I have a question for us to ponder today. Why does it feel like we are always waiting on God? God is slow in many ways. Afterall, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2 Peter 3:8
But we tend to operate differently in that we want God to do things in our time. We say things like… I want to see it happen, God. I want to be a world changer. I want this now, not later. I want to see it, so I can say wow… to God be the glory! I know that good things come to those that wait, but I want good things now.
Often times it can feel like we are not making progress, if we are not seeing results. When we don’t see things happen quickly, we often become frustrated and impatient and begin questioning ourselves and even God.
For over three years we have been praying about and casting vision around the idea of seeing more churches (30 to be exact) planted out of Heartland Vineyard. We believe God has put this deep inside of our hearts.
According to a recent Des Moines Register article, 75 percent of homes in towns like Casey, Iowa are visited yearly by police officers, because of either drugs, domestic disturbances or poverty related issues. We can either sit on our haunches and watch people in communities like these continue to struggle, or we can go after them with the fierce love of Jesus. We have chosen the latter.
For over 3 years, we have prayed, developed strategies, gone to church planting conferences, read books, talked to leaders and prayed some more. We have been on conference calls, and we have even identified and pursued potential site pastors. It has been a journey to say the least. So much has happened over the past several years.
I must admit that I have grown impatient at times on this journey.
Over the course of three years since casting the initial vision, we have officially planted a grand total of… zero churches.
But guess what?… we continue to hold on to what God told us. We continue to pray and lean into him for leadership. Kingdom seeds are being sown. We are trusting that the harvest is on its way!
I am excited to report that over the past several months, we have experienced some breakthrough on the church planting front. We believe that Holy Spirit has given us our next steps and they are connected to the town of Oelwein.
I can’t wait to share the details of these next steps. Hint: They involve you.
Stay tuned!