As some JMC family and friends came and went from our home throughout last night, my soul was more and more confident in the approach to ministry God seems to be opening the doors for us to as a little band of siblings in Christ. God, thank You for our little Home church community in Jesus’ name! We wrestled together as we watched sections of The Passion of The Christ. We read Isaiah 53 together and were impacted by the Gospel afresh! We were sorrowful, shaken, offended even in a way that our sin would be so violently wicked that our Jesus would need to be bloodied to such a degree! You have judged us this vile that this death was necessary to give us life!

You, Oh God, are the only Holy God!

For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? – Psalm 89:6-7

You are worthy of praise, Oh God!

As I watched some dear friends shepherding and counseling and helping us all understand and be at the same time in awe of our God’s sacrificial gift of Himself to us, God’s children, I was impacted with a dream, a vision of more and more home church pastors preaching the Good News!

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! – Psalms 90

Planting and multiplying small missionary communities in the name of Jesus and for His glory and in His direction and strength… How much more of an exciting vision is there when new disciples of Jesus are being made and we are sharing everything in common, taking risks together, dropping into each other’s lives, forgiving one another, holding up Your commands and covenant and faithfulness, and Your great commissioning of us to make more followers of You by Your great strength in Your Spirit and in response to Your death for us?! Your Love is overwhelming. Your agape Love is overwhelming and draws us into worshiping You in every area of our lives!

Today we head up to the mountains together to work on our first Refuge Cabin which is simply a camping trailer we are reworking to be a place of safety and rest for people we serve to get away with God for a season to heal and seek God’s face and gain vision for coming back home and pouring their lives out as the rest of us are doing. Our prayerful hope is to have a piece of property down here in Merced eventually with dozens of these trailers and giving people a chance to get on their feet at a fraction of the cost both to them and to our community of other housing programs. People would also get a chance to be a part of their own restoration and the restoration of others by working on the trailers and preparing them for re-sale or for housing on private property for those we encounter as a community! Trusting God that this will come together with no problem if it’s of the Lord! Trusting Him and enjoying God’s revealing of His good pleasure! We are just His kids caught up in His presence and promises and purposes in redeeming what the devil thought was his.

To God be the glory!!

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness. – Psalm 96:5-13