Jeff and I successfully caught a flight from Miami to Orlando later on Monday afternoon. It is so great sharing moments with people you actually love and enjoy being around. That could have been the recipe for a very bad, very long day. However, it ended up being really fun. You can make the best of EVERY situation…it’s all about how you choose to live your life, I guess.
Wrapping up the Costa Rica recap, we had a great day on Sunday. Most of the team went to Renacir (the local church we are working with). John, Dayne and Justin all spoke for breakout sessions. Dani and Kara ran the kids ministry. Sarah gave a testimony. Jeff and Dan went with me to check out Parker’s church plant.
It was so cool to see the “team plant” model at this church. This is what Mike, Sam and I are doing in Charlotte. Parker has joined with two local pastors and they are joining their strengths, efforts and creativity to plant this church.
I won’t soon forget being in a church service in which I could not understand most of what was being said. Parker shared with the church about our church plant in Charlotte. Pastor Odie (the lead pastor) asked me to come forward. They all prayed for me. I remember wishing that Parker would interpret. He didn’t.
As I was standing there, I simply lifted my hands and prayed that God would speak to me. As they were praying for me, I saw a picture in my mind of Charlotte. The ground was shaking and the buildings were crumbling. As I sat there and watched this unfold in my mind, I began to feel God speak to me. The buildings were the things in the Christian community that have built up over the years. Religion, rebellion, pride, etc. They came crashing down because God wants to re-build this amazing community to reflect His nature and character.
10 minutes later, Pastor Odie began to speak out of Haggai 2. Check out vs. 6&7:
6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.
I guess God’s trying to tell me something, eh? I love God. I love that he speaks even when I can’t understand everyone else around me.
Church was followed by typical “market shopping” in San Jose. I got a couple of cool things for Dara and the kids. Later on that night our team gathered together and had an amazing time debriefing and sharing what God had done in our lives this past week.
This was a great trip. Costa Rica gave us some great memories. I’m really glad to be back home with my wife and kids.
