A few years ago Matt Redman wrote a song entitled, Blessed Be the Name. The chorus of that song says, “He gives and takes away but blessed be his name.” That chorus reflects a foundational theology of the church, that God is good, but that we do not always understand why he does what he does. It also reflects that life is bitter-sweet, that the good and the bad are always right there together. I have been reflecting on that truth recently as I have been in the middle of getting this new church up and running.
This has been one of the most exciting church starts I have ever been a part of, and I really love all the people who are part of it. Every morning I awake with a sense of expectation and excitement about pastoring this church plant. In the midst of this excitement and joy, I have also been choking on a bitter pill, the demise of a church I planted about 15 years ago in Michigan. That Michigan church was once an exciting and vibrant church, it made the news paper many times for innovative outreaches, it was known in the community as an outward focused church, and it employed three full time pastors and several part time staff. Today, there are only 30-40 people, no staff, and the little group that remains want nothing to do with the vision that they began with. It is so sad . . .
As I look at both churches I am grateful for both of them. The lesson learned at the church in Michigan have shaped the church I am now planting in Florida. Many times I saw the Lord intervene on our behalf and I think of the faces, the names, and the events that led many people to salvation, to deeper walk with Christ, and the many healings, deliverances, and life changes that came through that ministry. The Lord gave those blessings full well knowing that one day that church would be in the state of health that it is now. Even now he is blessing this new church plant, and only he knows if it will be here in two years, fifteen years, or 100 years. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord. In the midst of both the success and the failure of two churches I have questioned what might I have done different, did I leave the one church too early, should I have intervened more after I left. No, I am certain that God told me whom to leave in charge, when to leave there and go to Mexico, and to come here to Florida rather than return to Michigan. I am certain he knows what he is doing. I am certain he gave me and my family to the church in Michigan, and it was him that led us away, even though it was very hard to leave. He gives and takes away, but blessed be his name.
Even so, I must admit that as I think about what has happened in Michigan I cannot help but be concerned for the other churches I have planted, or worked with, and even this plant now. I want to build with silver and gold, not hay, wood and stubble (1 Corinthians 3.12). How do I reconcile it all? I must own that which is my doing, but more over I must trust God in what he is doing. That he loves all those involved even more than I.
