Church Planting and Faith

I think God can use you wherever. Big or a small city. I don’t think planting should be too comfortable. It has to come with risks. It is going to be uncomfortable. The best is when it does not make a whole lot of sense on paper. I think the doors are open. I don’t wait for God to open doors. I think they are always open. I would rather start heading down a path instead of waiting until I think a door is open, I will stop when I visibly see a shut door. What about you?

--Craig Gross of XXXchurch.com on church planting, emphasis mine

This encourages me at the juncture we're at as a community, just venturing out on the second plant. This also speaks to me as a follower of Christ, who has learned to trust Him more as my faith expands. Every single time I walk out into something new, with or without vision to do it, it has been the right thing, or God has course-corrected me in some way. There's a ton of comfort in that. God wants us to trust Him and do what a lot of others think is crazy. He doesn't want us to have comfortable, "normal" lives--He wants us to be in what Louie Giglio has described as the crazy rapids of a river that is His plan. It's an adventure I don't want to be on the banks just watching. I want to be in there, despite fears, tendencies to avoid failure, and desire for self-preservation.

Remember what Jesus said about losing our lives? I think He was right. He always is.