Last Sunday morning about 9am our kids were running around and enjoying the energy from getting to sleep in on a Sunday morning, when I heard the scream. It was one of those screams that you know something is wrong but don’t want to go look. Within 5 seconds here comes my daughter Rainn, holding her arm from falling down some stairs. I’m thinking, ‘Are you kidding me?’ She just got out of a cast about 2 months ago, please don’t be a broken arm!
My wife is out of the house on a coffee run, and my other kids are saying, ‘Dad, we should have gone to two services today and this wouldn’t have happened…’ so I do what any good dad would do, and call my wife. Kayla, I need you right now. That was all it took for Super Mom to show up and take her to the hospital (after we could figure out where to go.)
Turns out, it wasn’t totally broken, just fractured! But this is our 3rd broken bone about 6 months. I’ve told my kids that when broken bones heal, they’re actually stronger than they were before, so their arms are going to be stronger than normal! They’re now convinced that they will have super powered arms! 🙂
We’ve all heard the saying, ‘What doesn’t break you, makes you stronger.’ But I would suggest, ‘What breaks you, makes you stronger.‘ Yes, that broken arm is going to hurt for awhile, and the pain of the moment will cause you to wonder if things will ever heal, but when that healing comes and the hurt goes, you are stronger because of it!
This whole journey of planting a church has been moment after moment of God breaking us. Breaking us out of our routine, our comfort zone, our safety net, and our community, to do something He has called us to do. While it hasn’t been the easiest thing in the world, we are encouraged because we serve a God who takes broken things and broken people, and puts them back together even stronger than they were before.
Kayla has been able to get into several schools by subbing and is making great relationships in strategic places of the city. I’ve been able to meet with 6 different pastors in the Des Moines area and so far have been mostly embraced as a new church to the city. There’s a local church plant called Summitcreek Church that has adopted us and taken care of us, and is donating a really nice trailer to store portable equipment, 16 sections of portable staging, and even a few led lights. Praise God! They will also be giving Grow Church a financial gift on top of it all. We’re grateful that as church planters we found another church to be our home base, and Pastor Jonathan and Heather Palmer have been a God send to our family. We believe so much in the local church and believe all people should be connected to one; no matter what season they’re in!
So, while part of us is feeling the pain of being in a broken season, there’s a greater part of us embracing the joy of knowing the strength that comes from it! We serve a God who uses broken things, to bring great things!
When is the last time you’ve allowed God to break something in your life? When’s the last time you’ve allowed God to break your heart for what breaks His? Or maybe, you’ve just been going through trial after trial and feel like you’re in a broken season. Keep your faith. Keep going. Keep serving. Keep attending. Because maybe God is building a strength inside of you that you didn’t know you had!!
- Prayer Points:
– Health and safety for our family
– Protection and vision as Kayla and I travel to Birmingham for ARC church planter training
– Financial provision
– People’s hearts to be open to join the launch team
– A truck, or a great leader to join the launch team who has one
Let’s Go Reach Our World!
– Arjay & Kayla Johnson