MIRACLE IN THE MAKING
"God, give us houses we did not build and vineyards we did not plant. Let there be provision for the vision." This was the daily prayer Pastor Manny prayed as he set out to take the greatest step of faith of his life.
Deuteronomy 6:10-11
I was born and raised in Kansas City, but had been away from home for almost 18 years. Doubt, fear, and uncertainty attempted to oppose what God had called my family and I to do. Plant a church before the end of 2020. "Are you really going to do this during the pandemic? This doesn't make any sense. How are you going to provide for your family?" The whispers can ring loud if you allow them to steal your attention. However, when God speaks the whispers hold no power over you. If He said it; He will do it.
We were a couple of weeks, yes only two weeks away from uprooting our lives and starting from scratch as we boarded our flight to Kansas City. Due to the chaos going on in the world we still did not have a home or jobs lined up. Several months prior towards the beginning of the pandemic my wife had booked the flight in anticipation we would need to tie up a few loose ends before the move, not knowing this two day trip would be our only opportunity to solidify everything.
Soon after we landed, a friend who pastored in New York was traveling across the country to California and called to meet up for coffee, because he was passing through Kansas City. If I am being honest, I was reluctant to share any of my time during this very short trip. Our lives were on the edge of a life-changing move and a casual cup of coffee didn't feel like a burning bush moment. Isn't that how God works? The most seemingly insignificant moment can completely alter your future. A simple "yes" or "no" may hold more power than you know.
Though the task at hand was pressing, being in the same city at the same time made it difficult to turn down the invitation. During our visit, my friend began to tell me about a local Pastor he was meeting for coffee early the next morning. This Pastor was well respected and connected in the city. My friend told me if anyone could point us in the right direction it would be this Pastor and we should make time to meet up with them in the morning. The appointment was early enough it wouldn't interfere with the important part of our day, or so I thought. The next morning I woke up early and felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to bring my resume and a flash drive containing examples of my preaching. I wasn't quite sure why I would need the preaching examples, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to be prepared.
We arrived at the coffee shop and our friend introduced my wife and I to an older gentleman named, Pastor Howard Cordell. The first thing he requested after introduction was a resume and preaching examples. My wife and I looked at one another in surprise and immediately handed him everything requested. Pastor Howard was a bit surprised at our quick response and let out a little laugh. He then proceeded to talk about the difficulties of leading a church in the middle of a pandemic and how crazy it would be to plant a new church. "Are you sure this is what God is calling you to do?", he asked. It was the same question many others had asked and we assured him this was something we knew God was calling us to do. He then asked us to share more about ourselves. After close to thirty minutes of telling him about ourselves and sharing our heart for the local church and Kansas City, he stopped us. As he leaned in he said, "Listen, I'm not going to play my cards close to the chest. I know of a church in the area. The pastor feels God is transitioning him into a different season in life. His desire is to give the debt-free building and nine and a half acres of property to a church-planter who will plant the vision God gave them. Would you be interested in meeting this pastor?" It sounded too good to be true. Not quite realizing the weight of the moment I said, "I would love to meet this pastor!" Pastor Howard sat back and responded, "I am that Pastor and I feel Holy Spirit telling me this is supposed to be yours." In one moment, every prayer was answered. God had given the vineyard we did not plant and provided for the vision before we could finish articulating what was on our hearts. The moment was so surreal and we were in a bit of a daze. We attempted to keep our composure, but this changed everything. We asked to see the property and he quickly gave us the address and made plans to meet us there. As we pulled up to the beautiful property we were overwhelmed by the faithfulness of God. This was not a ran-down, old building, but a well-maintained church.
I need to pause for a moment and take you back, nine months to be exact. One evening, my wife turned to me and explained how she couldn't get over a dream she had a few weeks prior. Now, if you know my wife you will understand she is more of a thinker than a feeler. She will not casually say, "God told me or the Holy Spirit is leading me" unless she has a strong conviction. She proceeded to tell me in her dream how we were standing in the back of a round-shaped sanctuary we have never seen before. On the platform was a gray- hairded individual speaking and they pointed to us and said, "All of this is yours". Knowing our plan to start a church later that year, she tried to disregard the dream as something her mind created. Finally, she felt compelled to tell me, because she just couldn't get it off her mind and thought it could be God.
Now, let's return to the moment we walked into the building for the first time. As we walked into the sanctuary, I turned to look at my wife standing in the very back of the room. With tears welling up in her eyes she said, "This is it. This is what I saw in my dream". I know God is in the details and very intentional, but this is just one example of many God moments leading up to this miracle. We didn't realize the signifigance of every moment until we looked back and all we can say is, "Only God!"
If this is the first miracle of Vision Church Kansas City, I can't imagine how much greater is ahead!