A Week Late... but Worth the Wait (aka: a Dad's House Update!)

I know...
  I'm a week late with this post.

Maybe it is because I needed a little rest after Easter weekend... or maybe it's because I had to let it all settle in and get a bit of distance and perspective that a few days offers, if given the time! (Hint: I took the time!)

Mostly I think it's because I feel a bit like the girl who went to the door to answer Peters' knocking... a little embarrassed that I'm surprised at how our prayers were answered while we were still praying!

Yeah. Mostly it's that!

I know I say this every few weeks or so, but my intention was never to turn this into a church planting blog.  

Partly because while that IS what we are doing, it is not the whole of who we are and I tend to talk about all aspects of my life and how the Lord is teaching me and stretching me and growing me.

And yet... I know so many of you sweet readers have invested in Dad's House over the last two years and I felt impressed to write a post just to let you know how your prayers --our prayers-- are being answered and what is next for us here at Dad's House church!

The good news is that we are outgrowing our current building. The bad news is that we love, love, love our current building and what it offers us.  It has been oh so good to us and yet... we have known it is time to expand for awhile now.

(Keep in mind... we are less than two years old as a church.)

The other part of the 'bad news' is that we are pretty particular in what we are looking for and this is a small town and yet --our God is a big God.  We keep reminding ourselves that He dropped our current (read: first) space out of nowhere in a very unusual, creative way... so we keep our eyes and heart and hands wide open, expecting Him to lead the way to what He has for us next!

But before we get into that, let's talk all things EASTER...

We have an amazing relationship with a local Elementary School just down the road from us. We have sort of adopted them and have volunteers there every week and we try to love on the staff and the kids and provide what we can and just let them know overall that we see them... we value the work they are doing... we are for them!  So when the reality of how we are outgrowing our space on a 'normal' Sunday smacked into the reality that we wanted room for potential Easter visitors, we began discussing having to rent another location for that day.  McClure simply made the most sense.  

They immediately said yes and we filled out the paperwork and paid the fee and felt such an excitement building as the plans began to unfold.

Suddenly - we would not be crammed in to a tight space! The available open venue gave room for more chairs, yes --but also room for more freedom during worship... more space for the kids to move about... more opportunity for creativity to be included in to worship.

Room to dance.
  Room to paint.
Room to praise.
  Room to breathe.

Sometimes, you don't know how shallow you are breathing until you can actually inhale fully and release a slow and steady exhale!

So this was Easter:

                                              Dad's House Service Photo Credit: Belle Vargas

We went out for a couple of weeks and invited the neighborhood to come. We posted on facebook and asked people to join us because suddenly, we could! We had room to spare!  

We had greeters who helped people know where to go and feel welcomed and loved on from the very beginning.  We offered a Continental Breakfast and we had a nursery ready to play and pray and love on babies. We had an amazing Children's Ministry set up and ready to teach and love on our kids and any other kids that showed up, too. 

We had a worship team prayed up and ready to lead the way in! We had painters painting on the side of the stage... praying for a prophetic word or picture to give away with the artwork at the end of the service.  

We had everyone on staff play an important part - from explaining what to expect and directing where and when to drop off kids, to opening in prayer, to leading in worship, to preaching an AMAZING message*, to offering prayer and salvation at the end. 

We had so many within our body come on Saturday to help set up and pray through the building... and so many stay afterwards on Easter Sunday to help tear down, load up, and unpack the equipment and oh my goodness, how it went oh so smoothly and how we had visitors and new people and salvations and powerful encounters with the Lord during prayer at the end... 

Also... after all of that, there was this:

Because everyone was SO AWESOME, we managed to still make it to the annual family gathering at My Honeys' parents home.  We normally get together after church on Easter Sunday for lunch and relaxing and egg hunts (of course!)  We thought we may miss it this year due to having to load and unload all the things... and yet, we were just a little late but we did not have to miss out on all the festivities!

So... What's Next?

Well, as amazing as Easter was... and as smoothly as it all went... we DO know we do not want to rent a space that we have to load and unload and set up and tear down and load and unload again every week.  

I know.  I know many people do that when planting a church. If it is something that we need to do - we will do it, but we are believing for a building to call our own (--at least, to rent/lease 7 days a week instead of just on Sundays!)

We are not your 'normal' church and we are passionate about keeping our Theater in the Round set up and we like to think outside of the box so some of our dreaming for how we would use a building is exciting --and yes, stretching... but that has become our new normal! (Stretching and losing any semblance of Comfort Zones!)

We found a possible space to rent several months ago, and we are looking over a possible lease now.  It is intimidating but so full of potential! There are Pro's and Con's, of course --but more than anything WE want... we need to know that this is what HE wants!

We covet your prayers for wisdom and favor and provision and most of all, for His Kingdom to be expanding and released in greater measures as we grow!

We can't explain to you how amazing it is --after years and years-- to have found our tribe and to be growing this Family at Dad's House! 

As Shawn said in his Easter sermon, 
"God's heart is to reveal Sons and Daughters. ...You don't have to be known and identified by anything other than the truth --that you are a Son or you are a Daughter of the Father!"

We pinch ourselves still - every Sunday afternoon.  

We can't believe we get to do this! 

We can't believe He chose us to love on His kids and to help them discover not only who He is, but who they are, too!

We're so thankful that He is smarter than we are. 
We're so grateful that - against all reason, we said yes!

He is growing His church and gathering His Bride and we are honored to be partnered with Him, with the incredible tribe of brothers and sisters He has called to be part of Dad's House... and we do it all for the King and His Kingdom! 



*If you want to watch or listen to this message, click here:
Sons Go Free - Easter Service 

I'm linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:

Holly Barrett for #TestimonyTuesday

Kelly Balarie for #RaRaLinkUp

Jennifer Dukes Lee for #TellHisStory