Stepping out of the boat and into the FREAK

When we arrived at the mission on Sunday i found myself feeling much the same as I did that March day in 2005 when we first opened the HHSM storefront . Excited for the opportunity to serve God despite the fact that we had no idea what we were doing. It was amazing! No clue what was about to happen and yet totally open to whatever God wanted. Sunday was like that. Something that had been stirring in our hearts for sometime now was now about to happen and again we had no clue what the plan was only that we were willing to step out even at the risk of being wrong,
      "aren't you doing church already? Haven't you been doing church for the last 10 years? So what are you waiting for?" Oh what a relief it was to hear that from someone else out loud the voice I have been hearing for some time in my heart. So we decided that Sunday was going to be it-we were going to have church down at the mission with our friends if they will come. If they didn't  We would still do it-remember willing to be wrong, crazy, rebellious all of that but simply willing. I have to admit we had avoided it fo r so long for many reasons; we aren't pastors, what would our church community say, would we risk looking like anti-traditional church people , would people understand. Notice that all of these questions and concerns had everything to do with the "world" and nothing to do with God. How did we get here? As a part of my Jesus FREAK journey I was worried this very thing would happen, my hesitation to God out of fear for what people would say. When 10 years ago we(my Jesus friend and I) first stepped out to meet people on the street to hand out clothes and talk about Jesus MANY people though we were crazy-including Tom but I went anyway. When Tom joined the team and I felt God sending us to have a storefront in the Barton st community and we signed a lease with no money to back it up people said we were irresponsible, crazy and selfish but we did it anyway. When I tried to manage a full time job and be at the mission too and had to make a decision between the two because there want enough time for both and I choose the mission with no pay no pension no benefits \MANY people thought I was crazy, irresponsible,selfish, rebellious but I did it anyway. Crazy, FREAKY Jesus FREAKY.
                     Through each of those decisions I focused on one thing only-Gods voice. I am glad I didn't take the advice of anyone else because as crazy and difficult as this journey has been and continues to be I am exactly where He needs me to be and my life has never been more blessed. We never had a business/mission or church plan just a crazy notion that God would never leave us even if we were wrong,He would pick us back up and give us the grace to continue.
            Starting church at the mission was no different. No plan, but we did print out some words to a few worship songs we liked and asked our friend John to come and talk to our friends about God. We made coffee and brought donuts and sat together with 5 of our friends in a circle with 2 more stopping to listen grab a coffee and flee and listened together from God word. Question's were asked in the comfort of friends and requests were made and advice was given. Church. Simple and wonderful. Why had it taken so long? Perhaps it had to. Perhaps God was waiting for us to grow a little more or perhaps our fear prolonged it. Whatever the reason it is here now-church on Sunday at the mission,Simple and wonderful. Not sure whats going to happen next Sunday but we do know we will be there to make coffee and listen to the Word and be with our friends. This I think was the FREAK I had been searching for.The funny thing was it was right here all along-God was just waiting for me to trust Him again like all those other times before.
Thanks for following on this crazy messy journey with me.