Experiencing New Harvest Plants

What a weekend we just had! We have been able to enjoy the outdoors a lot due to the weirdly warm weather. There are an unusual amount of pumpkin farms around here, each with their own carnival rides, petting zoos, and hay mazes so on Saturday Libby, Ellie, McKinley and I (along with Summer, a new friend McKinley has made … she is an evangelistic machine) checked one out. It was a full day of petting goats, jumping in an inflatable castle and riding carnival rides that looked like they were found at a carnie yard sale.

On Sunday we were able to attend our second Harvest launch in 3 weeks and it was an incredible experience. I have to admit that I found it hard to concentrate on the actual message as my mind continually wandered to future thoughts of Harvest Muskoka. In both of the plant launches they were surprised at the numbers. At the one we were at this Sunday they went from a plant group of 30-40 people to 240 people on that first service. It was great to see the excitement of the plant group as they were able to see the fruit of their labour as the months of meeting, praying and planning came to realization on their first Sunday service. After this past Sunday launch, David Jones (Dean of the School of Ministry) asked me if I could see this happening in Muskoka … he must have caught the far-away look in my eyes and not mistaken it for my usual look of confusion when he talks about the Greek meanings of obscure New Testament words. I told him how hard it was to fully engage in the service as I envisioned our launch this next fall.

Harvest South Milwuakee - meeting in a theatre

I am not sure how God will specifically bring all of the elements together to plant the Harvest Muskoka Church and yet I am still ‘fired up’ (to use a James McDonald word) knowing that God is already preparing the soil. I am so thankful for God's Spirit, who is working in the hearts of people in Muskoka. I am so thankful for the people who are already "on the ground" working so hard following God's Spirit in preparing Muskoka for this coming work. Now the hard part of this whole plant, for me, is waiting. In Acts 1:4 Jesus tells the Apostles to wait ... how hard that must have been. They were in the beginning of a huge "church plant" and they were told to wait for the Spirit to begin the work. I have added so many hours to many roadtrips because I couldn't wait for roadwork or traffic jams ... "there has to be a faster way". God, help us in the waiting as we look forward with excitement for what you are going to do in our hometown.

"The LORD is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him" (Lam. 3:25).

I am so stoked as I look forward to what God is going to do in Muskoka ... for now I want to join with those meeting in the small group by seeking God and being involved in preparing our hearts by being filled with the Spirit so that we can join in preparing the soil for the church He wants to plant.