Well the Fire Marshall came back with one request that took two days to fix, but I think we’re back in business again.   Our final inspection is in the morning, so we’ll see.  It’s a longshot to have a perfect inspection in order to get in by Sunday, but we will try our best and let the chips fall where they may.

This process seems like an eternity, but just 10 weeks ago we weren’t even serious about this whole plan.  A lot has changed in a short amount of time. 

We have literally had a force of people in our church find small and large ways to help.  From getting lunch to staying until 2:00 in the morning working, every piece of the puzzle has been a blessing.  It’s not always about how much you do.  Sometimes it’s about doing what you can when you can.  God can use an hour of your time to be a huge blessing to someone! 

So here we are…the chairs are set, the lights are going up, the children’s areas are ready to go…it’s time for church!  I’m excited…I’ll probably be more excited when I’m not so tired! 🙂  The building is amazing.  It is so different than a few weeks ago that it is hard to imagine the grime and filth that once was.  It now looks sharp, clean, and ready for church.

So, Lord, bring the people.  It’s all for nothing if it isn’t used to change somebody’s life..

Wow!  What a week!  We took on a MONUMENTAL task and with lots of help…and lots of God, we went through our first inspection yesterday without a hitch.  Everything looked good to the fire marshall and after he gets a couple of questions answered, we’ll have our building inspection.

The mountain of lumber that it took to build a subfloor, wall, and ramp has been reduced to a pile of scraps.  The sawdust alone was an astounding mess that has been conquered and the tools are getting packed away for another day.  We are beginning the process of taking our freshly groomed building and turning it into our church. 

With our dream of opening day looming just five days away, we continue to pray that God will give us favor for our final inspection and the strength to get everything setup and done with ease.

Thank you to all of the people who have painted, scrubbed, built, and injured themselves for this dream.  I trust that God will use this building as an awesome tool and your work will be for a purpose far beyond what you could imagine.

OK, so we’ve been waiting for a permit for years.  Fine, it’s only been a few weeks, but it really does feel like years.  And guess what!  Tomorrow is the big day.  It’s the day that we will be handed the little piece of paper that allows us to go forward and move on from this roadblock of construction.  Here’s the kicker…we’ve got the green light, but in order to move into our new building by Nov. 23 we need to have our huge building projects done in 3.5 days. 

I can envision it now.  It’s the Extreme Makeover Home Edition of the church world.  100’s of people in blue shirts marching toward a goal with one thing in mind.  Help the family that is destitute.  I’m pretty sure that would be Mark and I by now.  This process is just hanging over our heads and let me tell you – I can taste the freedom of completion.  It’s in my sights and I want it.  Bad.

That’s where “Determined Stacy” shows up.  There is this mildly vicious side of me that flairs up when a goal is placed before me.  I will move Heaven and Earth to meet a challenge.  And it’s gonna take a little earth moving on this one.

We need to build a 532 sq ft. sub floor, a 12 foot ramp, sheetrock a door shut, recarpet, build a 21 ft ramp to the stage, build a wall and door to the Little Adventurers, clean the place top to bottom, finish electrical work, minor plumbing, install an espresso maker, and buff about 6000 sq ft. of floor…with wax.  Did I mention that we have 3.5 days?

Today we hit 100 people in our attendance, which is a milestone for us!  Each of those lives is so precious to our church.  They represent a story, a changed life, and most importantly, a life that is now capable of changing our world for the better with the love of Jesus. 

I’m sure that someday we will look back and remember when we were “only” 100, but there will never be a time when I forget what each of those people represent.  I smile on Sundays because I LOVE our people.  They are fun, loving, imperfect, and I consider each one part of my family. 

Mark and I look forward with great anticipation for the future.  We know there will be growth and lives changed for the rest of our time in ministry.  As long as Jesus is still alive and working, we will never run out of stories to tell!  What an amazing calling and job we have!

Today I am a very proud American.  “My” candidate didn’t win, but nonetheless, the process we have in America is very liberating.  The voting polls were packed, people were actually interested in our future, and a man who would not have been elected 100 years ago because of his skin color is now our president elect.

Although I don’t agree with all of Obama’s ideas, I am very excited to pray and be involved for the next 4-8 years.  As a leader, I understand that I don’t always have to agree in order to be supportive. 

The freedom we have to worship our God is the very same freedom that we exercised to elect Obama.  That freedom is precious to me because I can tell people about Jesus, which can trump any legislative decision that is ever made.  For example, a woman who understands the love of Christ may choose not to have an abortion, regardless of what our laws say…and that is a power that is precious to me. 

Thank you to all of you who voted – either way!  I continue to believe that God can change our nation in a way that no man can.