the movement

A little over a year ago, after the church we were very involved with suddenly shut down. All kinds of doubts of planting a church started racing through my mind. I mean, this was our home base that shut down. This was the main lilly pad we were leaping from. We were supposed to go through VLI and then go off and plant a church with the full backing of a huge church planting movement and POOOOF! it was all gone. So, as we considered just starting one right away, where we were, in Columbia, Mo. However, doors started closing and we increasingly felt like it was not what we were supposed to do. This caused me to believe that God had no intention of using us in any kind of ministry work or church ever again.

So, while letting that thought (or lie rather) fester and grow in my mind, and letting the seed of being a church planter die. God was doing a work right in front of me that I couldn't even see. It started in March of last year when I accompanied my father-in-law and brother-in-law to Washington D.C. Apparently the Congress was getting ready to pass a bill that 2/3 of the people were against and under the rules of self governance, we joined up with about 50,000 people in 3 days time to let them know they were going against the will of the people. They ended up passing the bill anyway, even though none of the congressmen had even read the bill or knew what was in it. I just couldn't believe they would do that, in fact, it made me angry and made me feel like I needed to do something.

So, when we got back to Missouri, I started looking for a group of people that was as upset as I was and found no one. So, I started the Mid-Mo Tea Party. Within a week I had gathered about a dozen people. Within two weeks, we found another small group and joined forces with them. Within three weeks we had grown into a group of 60 people strong. Then I was contacted by an individual in Boonville, Mo that wanted to start a group and didn't know how. So, I formed the Cooper County Tea Party and within 3 weeks we were 50 people strong. Then I was contacted by a guy that wanted to start one in Fulton, Mo. within a few weeks we were another 50 people strong. All the while growing the group in Columbia. Within a years time, we had recruited, organized, rallied, lobbied and totally influenced politics in the State of Missouri, causing the greatest election upset since before the civil war.

One day, as I sat there thinking of the whirl wind of politics and how the smoldering movement became a blazing fire. I wondered how my simple action influenced hundreds and hundreds of people and formed at least 5 groups. I sat there and came to the realization that people are just hungry for truth. They are tired of being lied to and manipulated by those "in charge". That's why they flocked to the tea party movement in massive numbers. As I sat there thinking about it, I felt like God was saying to me, "people are even more hungry for my truth".

In an instant, God showed me that he has what people want, in it's purest form and they will drop everything to get it. It just takes someone to start it. He showed me that with the right message, a movement will start. So, I am leaving the tea party and politics behind and am following the higher calling. Jesus said, "Peter, do you love me?" to which he replied, "yes Lord, you know I love you", and Jesus said, "then feed my sheep".