A Warm Bus for Cold Souls!

We are learning that Winter in NYC can be difficult. In our first couple of months here we have experienced multiple snows (one with over 10 inches of accumulation), temperatures in the low teens, regular rain and an almost constant wind. And we get to experience all of this with our main form of transportation being walking and the subway.

The other night Katie, Natalie and I were walking from the subway to a bus stop, the temperature was around 15 and the wind was blowing at about 30 mph. I was literally having to hold on to Natalie to keep her from blowing away. My face was numb and my ears felt like they would shatter if someone touched them. When we finally reached the bus stop I had never been so happy to get on a bus before in my life. As we began to feel the warmth of the bus and were able to talk again, we all kind of laughed about the situation!

Believe it or not, looking back on that night makes me realize just how much we love our new city, our new way of life and our calling to plant a church here in NYC. There have been times in my life when difficulty and challenges have caused me to doubt my calling or grow frustrated and insecure. I think in the past this has been because deep down inside I always believed that my success in ministry was based primarily on what I did instead of what God does. 

This call on our family to NYC is something so much greater than any of us could accomplish in our own strength. Planting a church in a city where the spiritual ground is hard is beyond me. Seeing people that are currently far from God being transformed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is no work of my hands. I have come to realize that this is the beginning of faith. For most of my Christian life faith was my belief that God would come through when I couldn't. Now God has taught me that faith is knowing that God will come through regardless of what I have to offer. 

That cold and windy night a couple of weeks ago will always be a reminder to me that God is our shelter through the storm, not from the storm. As we walk this path there will be cold hearts, windy, unstable circumstances, and times that we feel like we are out of control. But still God is leading us. He is leading through the storm, through the cold and through the wind so that when we finally reach our place of shelter He will be the one that receives all the glory, honor and praise!