Reflections

Proverbs 28:19Proverbs 28:19
English: World English Bible - WEB
19 One who works his land will have an abundance of food; But one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

tells us that “where there is no vision, the people perish.” I believe this be true for the Christian individually as well as the church corporately. To obtain the vision that is so imperative, we must spend time with the vision giver, Jesus Christ. Vision comes in that quiet place where we reflect on where we been and consider the direction we are heading. The main opponent to this process is the headlong sprint we call life and the things that we mistakenly perceive as priorities. We often lose our spiritual passion and perspective as the headlong plunge to accomplish daily tasks choke out our time with the Lord. Even our devotions can become just another box checked in a life too full to “be still and know that (He) is God.” This rang all to true to me in the summer of 2004 as I traveled by myself on an eleven our plane flight to Ireland from San Diego for a short term missions trip.

A year and a half before I had been hired into a full time ministry position at Maranatha Chapel. The period had been filled with worship, Bible study, teaching, training, hospital visits, camps, and mission trips-a virtual ministry Disneyland. But on that plane, somewhere over Ohio, my ministry exhausted Spirit began to really hear from the Lord for the first time in a long time. Even though prayer had been persistent and devotions daily over the aforementioned period, the Lord began to reveal to me that I hadn’t truly departed from the distractions and just spent time with Him.

That eleven hour plane ride became a turning point in my life. As the Lord refreshed me I began to reflect on all of His blessing over previous years. How He had exposed me to verse by verse teaching of the Bible, and how it being taught simply and with grace had changed my life…How, after reading the book “Harvest”, He had put on my heart the desire to leave Missouri and relocate to California in order to attend Calvary Chapel Bible College, with the single minded purpose of returning to Missouri and planting a verse by verse Bible teaching church. How He had blessed me with the opportunity to go to Bible college and then to be on staff at an amazing church…How I was getting the opportunity to be involved in so many good things, but, the question that kept nagging me was, were they God’s best thing for me? The thought began to actually cross my mind that it was nearing time to go back to Missouri rather than stay in California. But how could I know?

It was at that point that the Lord led me to the little book of Habukkuk. Habukkuk was a prophet who was receiving from the Lord some things that he was wrestling with. So the Lord told him to “write the vision down and make it plain on tablets.”(Hab. 2:2) I felt he was telling me to do the same. As I began to outline the vision the Lord was giving me for a simple, Calvary Chapel style church, after the pattern in Acts chapter two, I began reading back through the first chapter of Habakkuk and these words leaped off the page at me, “For I will do a work in your days that you would not believe though it were told to you.” (Hab. 1:5) My heart raced with excitement as I read and re-read that phrase. It was clear that the Lord was encouraging me about the vision He was giving me.

The difficulty came in that I understood that the work the Lord had shown Habakkuk was a work of judgment that was to fall on an unrepentant people. Yet, He seemed to impress upon me that this work in my day would be a work of restoration- restoring relationships with Christ in an area where there is so much religion and so very little true relationship.

As for whether the vision was to be set in motion sooner rather or later, Habakkuk 2:5Habakkuk 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous. A haughty man who doesn’t stay at home, who enlarges his desire as Sheol, and he is like death, and can’t be satisfied, but gathers to himself all nations, and heaps to himself all peoples.

flagged my attention, “for the vision is for an appointed time…it will not tarry.” “Don’t wait!The time is now!” These were the words ringing in my ears.

Lucinda and I relocated to Farmington Missouri in June 2005. In July 2005, the Bible study that would birth Parkland Chapel began in our basement. In December of 2005 we began renovating an old shipping dock at a craft mall called “The Factory.” The drafty old dock would become our fellowship’s first home. The vision had begun to take seed.

The year 2006 brought more than I would have believed if it were told to me. I don’t have enough time or paper to tell of all the spiritual growth that we are seeing in the lives of those in our fellowship, but I thought I would give you who pray for us and financially support the ministry here a thumbnail sketch of the past year, via one line excerpts from my journal. Here are the some of the notable breakings and blessings.

JANUARY: 1st The last Sunday night Bible Study in our basement 5th I began as a substitute school bus driver, praying for a full time route to provide health insurance 6th The Elliot family visits from California 8th We have our first Sunday evening Bible study at the “Factory” 21st Lucinda’s dad Tony visits 24th Jesse Estrada visits from California 28th Lauren Steffler visits from California

FEBRUARY: 5th Parkland Chapel’s first Sunday morning service at the Factory (12 adults and six kids attend) 11th We find out Lucinda is pregnant 17th Lucinda’s grandmother passed away 18th Michele Fujioka visits from California

MARCH: 1st Parkland Chapel begins supporting our first missionary 2nd We lost our baby by miscarriage 13th Much needed getaway to San Diego for spring break 18th We bought a labradoodle (you can stop laughing anytime now) 31st I received a full time bus route

APRIL: 14th Parkland Chapel’s first Good Friday Service 16th We partner with a local church to do a community sunrise service (150 people attend)16th Parkland Chapel’s first Easter Service (35 adults and 15 kids) 21st Five of our ladies attend local Calvary Chapel Women’s Retreat

MAY: 4th Five of us guys take an overnight canoe trip on the Jacks Fork River. 23rd I’m done with school bus driving for the summer (even more exciting than when I was a kid) 25th Michele Fujioka visits again 31st We find out Lucinda is pregnant

JUNE: 3rd Our first church outreach-We give away water at Farmington “Country Days” 10th Our first church picnic at the Selbert’s 23rd The Burke family and Jesse Estrada visit from California 25th Lucinda and I go to Branson for a couple of days

JULY: 14th Huge storm. Water backs up in our basement 17th Church picnic at the McKinneys 18th Daniel Bentley visits from Califiornia 19th Lucinda and I to San Diego. We are encouraged by Pastor Ray to begin looking for church property 23rd I have the privilege of officiating the marriage of Jesse Estrada and Jared Burke.

AUGUST: 4th Jared and Jesse Burke arrive to live here 7th Carter and Pam McElroy visit from San Diego 10th We look at a potential church property 12th The Chial family visits from California 17th Back to school bus driving 17th We make an offer on property and it is accepted! 18th I officiate a funeral at Parkland Chapel

SEPTEMBER: 15th Lucinda and I see an ultrasound of our baby. It’s a boy! Lord willing, He will be named Nathaniel James Harrison 23rd Guys of the church split wood and do yard work for a brother in need

OCTOBER: 4th Dan and Rhonda Gordon visit from California 4th We close on the property! Two big yellow metal buildings on seven acres will be the new home of Parkland Chapel 5th Lucinda and I celebrate our 10th anniversary in Branson! 8th Dan Gordon teaches two sessions on marriage 23rd First church work day 10th Lucinda’s mom and dad visit 31st Harvest Fellowship at the Mckinney’s

NOVEMBER: Work on the new building nearly every day (Thank the Lord that our church family had “a mind to work”)
DECEMBER: 1st Ice storm devastates area. We are without power for three days. Water backs uo in basement again. 18th Parkland Chapel begins delivering gifts to 10 kids we adopted through Angel Tree Ministries 17th Last service at the Factory 24th First service in the new building 24th FIRST SERVICE IN THE NEW BUILDING (50 adults and 20 kids attend)

As you can see, God has begun a good work that He will be faithful to complete. And yet, this is “not the work of one or two days?” (Ezra 10:13Ezra 10:13
English: World English Bible - WEB
13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand outside: neither is this a work of one day or two; for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.

). We continue to covet your prayers as the Lord mends hearts, builds a solid foundation for a strong church, and pours new wine into new wineskins. Whether you are a part of our body here in Farmington, or are located afar, we are thankful for your prayers and support and we look forward to the Lord expanding His church in 2007.
God bless,

Mike