Renaissance Road Church, the rockin church that I helped to start almost three years ago, actually almost started eight years ago. I was 25 years old (that makes me 33 right now if you’re doing the math), and I had group of about 15 other people with me, and we were seriously talking about starting a church. When I say “with me,” I mean that they were behind me. They wanted me to be their pastor. The congregation was ready. The support staff was ready. It was all ready. One problem: I was not ready. Here I was a 25-year-old with very little ministry experience presented with a golden opportunity to do something great. I mean this group of people was talented. This opportunity might never come my way again. If I say “no,” this group of people will disband and go their own ways. If I say “yes” then who knows. I felt like I was drowning. Drowning in not letting them down. Drowning in my calling. Drowning in my immaturity. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to lose this group of people, my friends. But I didn’t feel exactly ready either. I had not heard from the Lord. I felt like we needed to wait. And so, I watched this incredibly talented group of people, my friends disband … waiting really sucks sometimes.

Five years come and go. And finally, finally I hear from God. Finally, God says to start a church. I call up some of the same people from that old group of friends, and many of them joined me. I’d learned what I needed to learn. The rest of us had learned what we needed to learn. God had just set us up. God had just wanted us to wait on him. That opportunity back then, it would’ve produced a church full of boring sermons and boring people and … and possibly banjoes. No, this church right now is what God had in mind. God had a multi-ethnic, multi-generational, multi-creative church (yes, I just made that word up) in mind when he thought about my church. And if we hadn’t waited, I am convinced that it would have never happened.

“They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles.”

-Isaiah 40