Once upon a time there was a portable church.  Or to borrow and mangle a line from Tolkien, “In a dark auditorium in an aging high school there met a church.”  So begins a TBT story.

(Note: TBT is short for throwback Thursday, a chance to reflect on your past and hopefully gain from that reflection.)

It was the fall of 2007.  Average weekly attendance at Seneca Creek had dropped by over 500 people (almost 45%) per week in less than three years.  Finances were taking a beating.  And the leadership stood up and announced an ambitious plan to purchase and renovate a building that would ultimately serve as the hub of ministry activity at 13 Firstfield Rd in Gaithersburg.

It seemed impossible.  It really was impossible.  The numbers were going in the wrong direction.  And the bankers weren’t able to make it work.  And then God stepped in and did what we could never imagine.  The building owner worked with us and provided additional financing and more to enable the project to move forward.  Our campaign to raise the necessary funds for Phase 1 of construction got underway.  Hundreds of people responded by faith to God’s call, and sacrificed so the dream could become a reality.

Why am I retelling this story?  Because it all started with a risky, faith-filled first step.  It seems that’s the way God typically works.  A risky step of faith, then God begins to work.  Our preoccupation with safety sometimes gets in the way of the things God is calling us to do.

The famous missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, once commented:

“Unless there is an element of risk in our exploits for God, there is no need for faith.”

So as you consider your summer plans, and your daily routines, and your opportunities, let me challenge you with this thought: What risk is God asking you to take?  And what’s stopping you from stepping out in faith?

One day in the future you could have a TBT and look back to this moment, when you took a faith-filled risky step toward God’s future for you.  What story will you tell?

-Pastor Mark