A Dream Come True

As most of you know my wife and I were pastors in Las Vegas for many years. Then after 15 years of marriage decided that we must take a step back and take a break from the treadmill of ministry. We moved to Virginia and pretty much disappeared from the world that we grew to love for so long. While in Virginia, the Lord began to heal many parts of our heart that were shredded through years of ministry, personal issues, and relationship deterioration. While we were in Virginia we met some great friends, sought the Lord for our future, and started to discover what next steps the Lord would have for us. During one of the weeks while we were praying and fasting, I awoke from a dream where I was preaching at a church. When I was finished preaching, I went outside to figure out what church I was at. The name of the church was Freedom Fellowship. I then looked to see who the pastor was and came to a startling realization that I was the pastor. I woke up and told Melissa about this crazy dream and then just stored the dream in that place where I ponder the crazy possible ideas that God might be asking of me. Through prayer, good counsel, and seeking the Lord we ended up Reno, NV, where my brother and sister live with their families. We began working at Hillside Foursquare Church with our friends Pastor Louie & Joni Locke and served in whatever capacity was needed. It was during this time that I had the same dream where I was preaching at a church that was called Freedom Fellowship, where I was supposedly the pastor. I did not see how this was going to happen, so once more I shared it with Melissa and a few close friends and then left it alone. In February, the Lord opened the door for me to go back and teach at the church that I pastored at for so long in Las Vegas, NV. I knew that we needed to go back, say thank you, and allow the Lord to seal that part of our life. This was a difficult but healthy process. While we were there, the Lord did wonderful things in our hearts and we truly had a great time with our Las Vegas church family. Do not get confused, there were a lot of tears and difficult situations for my heart and mind, but it also was a time of freedom for both Melissa and I. We love our church family in Las Vegas, but we also know that it is no longer where the Lord is asking us to serve. It was during our time there in Las Vegas that the Lord made it very clear that we were to begin the church I dreamt about. Melissa or myself have never hoped to or thought about church planting. In fact, we would had told you that you were out of your mind if you had told either of us that not only we were going to plant a church, but that we would be excited about it.

There are so many messages sitting in this testimony that will surface over the next many years of teaching. The message that I want to focus on for this blog entry is that God will always bring health and direction. I think of Elijah when he got scared of Queen Jezebel and ran. The Lord met him in the desert, fed him and took care of him, led him to a cave for shelter, and then told him to get back to work. I do believe that leaving Las Vegas was an important step for both Melissa and myself. Many times I felt like I was stranded in the desert licking my wounds and was as lost as I have ever been. But it was during that time the Lord was feeding us and bringing us both back to a place of health. He led us to a place of shelter and rest and now we are standing, refocused, and are looking to our future with expectancy. I personally have never been more sure of who I am and what the Lord is asking of me. Which brings us to the next step of God’s love- He is giving us new directives and asking us to get back to work. We are listening to God’s voice and stepping out into the unknown.

Psalm 27:5
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

We do thank the Lord for each and every one of you who have prayed for us and believed in God’s plan for us over the years. If you find yourself in Sparks, NV, on a Sunday morning please plan on stopping by. The dream that God gave is coming to fruition. The church will be called Freedom Fellowship, and when you come I will be teaching God’s promises for today’s journey.