Entries from May 1, 2008 - June 1, 2008
Planting A Church
Wow! Has it ever been a long time since I have updated this site... I apologize to all those who do check back here in hopes of reading something new. I wrote something recently for my favorite publication, Next-Wave. You can use that link to go over, check out the issue and comment on my article, Starting Stuff is Difficult.
This idea of "Starting Stuff" is actually part of my excuse for leaving this site static for so long. I really have been busy, but so has everyone else on the planet - so I'm not going to use that one. The real reason I quit writing is because I felt like I didn't have anything to say until I could release the "big news." Sheryl and I are accepting an invitation we believe to be from God to plant a church in Northwest Indiana. Sheryl wrote about this at her site - you can jump over there and read her thoughts.
This was a tough decision at first because NW Indiana is where we both grew up and where our life in ministry began as well. There were a lot of reasons for this to be a really bad idea. We had to sort through all of those to be as certain as possible that we were hearing from God and not just something of our own making. For probably just as many reasons, it was a good idea too. We both have family up there that we would love to be with again. My older brother and his wife are expecting their first baby in September and we don't want to miss out on that. My parents have always been such a big and important part of my kids' lives, we're looking forward to being near them again.
But all those good reasons could never add up to equal a call from God.
We had to know that this was about His Kingdom and nothing else. It took several months and several confirmations but we are now confident that we are walking in the footsteps that have been ordered for us. Sunday, June 8 - just over a year from when we arrived in Florida - we're leaving it behind. I am going to miss so much of it! This is my kind of weather and being cold is nothing I look forward to. I love where we live and I love the schools the kids go to. We love our friends so much. Parting from them is the toughest part. But we are seeking first the Kingdom - now more than ever before in our lives. The passion that burns in me for the people of NW Indiana is unquenchable. We have to act on it.
I'm going to be writing again and laying out what we're thinking and hearing as we take on this mission. I think the starting point is to write about our call - what we believe God has said about us and about the mission He has given us. Call. Not vision. Vision I'll talk about later.
Thanks to everyone for the friendship, prayer and support that has literally held us together over the past 2 years of exploration and risk-taking. I'm more dependent upon the people God has placed in my life and His love and care for me than I've ever been before. This is a wonderfully scary place to be!
Scott Bane
4 Comments
Email