Our phase one website is now live at FindPathways.com. Up until now, typing findpathways.com in your browser brought you here (PathwaysBlog.com), but no more! Don’t be fooled by how similar it looks, it is a different site from this one…

This blog will continue to serve as a place for information for people in the church and our supporters as well as some of our thoughts through this process so you can journey with us. FindPathways.com will serve as the official church webpage. In phase one, it will be a general information website while we are developing a core. We hope to launch a much more robust and fancy site in late summer as the church launch draws near.

I’m at my son’s baseball practice. I love baseball practice! As a kid, I lived for baseball practice - so, as an adult I get to live for my son’s baseball practices. I’m just trying to say that I’m involved here. I’m getting to know the coaches a bit. They are all great guys who are great with the kids. I’m talking to one of them today before everything gets kicked off and he’s telling me a few of his views about women. I’m going to have to ask you to use your imagination - or not - because the colorful language eminating from his lips is not repeatable. Let’s just boil it down to: Women are in their own world, wish I hadn’t married, wish I could do it over, I love my wife, but wouldn’t do it over, etc… I simply listened. Sometimes it is almost refreshing to hear someone talk this way because as soon as they find out you are a pastor they become fake. They pretend around you and I hate that. I want someone to be real and if this is how he feels, I’m thankful that he feels like he can tell me in his own colorful language. I told him that I thought it was honorable that he has remained married (21 years) even though he has those feelings. Acknowledged that marriage is incredibly difficult, but the most rewarding relationship that I have ever had.

Here we insert the 30 pause in the conversation. The kind that signals a change in topic. “So, do you have a job here in Bellevue?” My heart stuck in my throat. Not because I don’t like to talk about my job - I love telling people about Pathways, but I knew that “fakiness” was just around the corner. It happens every time. I told him I was a pastor and that we were starting a new church here. His first words were, “Can you believe how much baseball they have these kids playing right around Easter time. These kids should be in church tonight - it’s the night He died, you know.”

AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

I wanted to tell him to quit faking it and keep cussing. Let’s be real and let “authenticity” take us into conversation. It’s a long season and I’m excited to build a relationship with him. I only hope he can get past the fact that I’m a pastor.

Our Core Group meeting last week was awesome. We are working our way through the book of Acts as we dig through what it means to be a church in community - following Jesus. We were about to land on Acts 4:32-37 this week, but I wanted us to watch a video called, “Invisible Children”. It’s the story of three college age guys who hear about the plight of the people in Southern Sudan and decide to put their lives on the line to make a documentary of what is happening. The Sudanese documentary never happens because they stumble upon an even more engrossing and heart-wrenching story. Visit InvisibleChildren. com to learn more.

Our challenge came as we tried to understand what it means in America today to be the people of God and have one heart and one mind - the same heart and mind as Christ. What does it mean to sacrificially give so that all other’s needs are met? Personally, I believe these three kids have a better concept of these verses than I do. These are not easy questions and we had no easy gift-wrapped answer. In fact, we left without answers, with a commitment to pray about what that means throughout this week. Next week we will tackle it again.

We are in the initial stages of developing the website for the church. What you are looking at isn’t the actual website, but a blog where we will keep people up to date on how things are going as the church moves toward launch and beyond. The church website will be located at findpathways.com, but that is forwarding here (pathwaysblog.com) until the full site is ready.

The first phase website will be for the next few months of core development, and then we will launch the full website in late summer as we prepare for launch.

We’d love to hear feedback from you. What are some of the most useful things you think a church website can or should have?

One of the blessings of planting a church is that we are constantly looking to God for his provision in everything and when He shows up, there is much rejoicing (image: Monty Python and the Holy Grail - “Yay!”). If you haven’t seen the movie or don’t appreciate non-sensical humor I aplogize. Anyway, back to our story. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of so many of you who have believed that this church plant CAN happen and SHOULD happen and are working by our side to MAKE IT happen. God is good…All the time!

A few ways that God has provided for us through people like you:

One of you was able to arrange America West Flexi-Passes for us to fly down to Arizona which came at a great discount to what normal tickets would have cost.

All of our signage and printed postcards, which are now hanging on your refridgerator, were provided for us at no cost. That is a huge savings for us as a new church.

One of you has arranged for us to purchase all of our computer and printer needs, which would be an overwhelming cost for us to take on right now.

As John and Sherri’s house is selling, they are staying rent free with a friend in the valley and already have a temporary place to stay in Washington as they look for a place land on a more permanent basis.

We have already let you know that our goal is to raise $500,000 over a three year period to help launch this church into it’s ability to become self-sufficient. Some of that will come through churches and organizations and some of it will come through our friends and family. That’s why we want to keep you up to date on our progress. At this time we have $276,000 committed to Pathways Church over the next three years. We are more than halfway there! Thank you for being used by God to plant a brand new work in an area of the country so in need of God’s touch.

I had another experience with people who are thinking in terms of the larger kingdom and not simply their own little corner of it. I was able to preach two times in February at a new church in Phoenix. The church isn’t even a year old and is still getting established itself. They were very excited to hear about what we are doing in Washington. I got an email from them this past week, and their leadership team has decided to make a one-time gift to help Pathways get off the ground. God, thank you for faithful people who listen as you move in their hearts.

Well, we’re putting the finishing touches on the packing and heading for AZ tomorrow bright and early so that we won’t get bumped off the flight. We were given some buddy passes on AWA and are so thankful for that. It has enabled us to bring Kyle and Josh, our two oldest, down with us as they haven’t been to Mesa since we left last summer. We are all really excited to see our friends. If you are an Arizonan, we hope to see you at a gathering! Adios.