In the first chapter of Joshua we read about a man who has been raised up to be a leader. Joshua was Moses’ assistant and had been groomed by Moses to lead Israel for some time, but now Joshua is receiving his call from God. Joshua’s task will not be easy, making a true kingdom impact never is.  He has to lead the nation of Israel, which has struggled to follow God, into the Promised Land and conquer it. As difficult as this task was going to be it was actually Joshua’s passion and lifelong dream. He was one of the twelve spies that scoped out the Promised Land to give a report the people. Ten of those spies were frightened and convinced the people that the task could not be done. But Joshua and Caleb disagreed. “We can take the land,” they told the people, “because God is with us!”  Years later Joshua’s time has come. He is set up as the leader of Israel and God calls him to lead the people into the land. God tells Joshua he will succeed as long as he does two things: be strong and courageous and stay faithful to God. That’s it, that’s all that God requires from this newly anointed leader. As we read forward in the book we find Joshua does exactly what God asked, he stays faithful and acts with incredible courage.

Joshua’s success goes back to his initial passion, he wanted to see Israel inherit the Promised Land according to God’s word. What is your passion that God has given you? Perhaps you have never considered the question before. Maybe you have only sought after passions the world has given you (a high paying job, a big house, recognition, etc.) and have not asked God what He would call you to do. If you have never considered what passion God is giving you then please start there. Seriously, stop reading this, fall to your knees, and start praying that God will place a call in your life. I believe He is faithful and in time will show you what you can pursue for His name and glory. Perhaps He will give you a passion to reach children, maybe He will call you to reach out to your neighbors or co-workers, maybe He will call you to bring a new ministry to the local church. The lists of passions that God can instill in our hearts in endless, we just need to listen. Once you have that passion and you know what God has called you to do then only one thing remains: be strong and courageous and stay faithful to God. You do not have to worry about success or failure, you simply have to do the best with what you are given. I am sure the calling that God has given you will not be achieved easily, making a true kingdom impact never is. Nonetheless, move forward with boldness, move forward with passion, fix your eyes on the cross and press on towards the goal. God will take care of the rest, simply be strong and courageous and stay faithful to Him.

As I am sure most (if not all) of you know by now, Kate and I have received a new calling from God. He has called us to start a new church in Pueblo, Colorado. The opportunity is an exciting one. We have both lived in Pueblo and we know it has a deep need for the Gospel. The great majority (some estimate almost ninety percent) of people in Pueblo are not connected to a local church. We are passionate about the people in Pueblo, we are passionate about the Gospel, and we are passionate about this new call we have received from the Lord. Our new calling will not be an easy one, making a true kingdom impact never is. It will be very, very difficult for us to leave Darrow Road. We have loved living here, being a part of this great community, and we have loved ministering to this church. Starting a new church is also very difficult, and a lot church plants fail within the first five years. But we hope everyone will understand we are simply trying to stay faithful to God and so we will move forward with every bit of courage we can muster. We will move in October, so in the coming months I want ask you to consider partnering with us as we start this new journey. To start a new church we need three things: we need people who will come to Pueblo and be a part of the new church, we need money to fund the new church, and we need an enormous amount of prayer. I am asking you to consider and pray about partnering with us in any of those three ways. If you feel God is calling you to do that please contact me and we will move forward together. If you have questions about our calling or the new church we will be starting I would love to meet with you and discuss it. In addition, I also want to help you pursue and live out the passion that God placed in your heart. I want to invite you to share it with me and how I can partner with you as seek to fulfill His will for your life. God has called us all to live for Him. Let us move forward by staying faithful and being strong and courageous.

Keep the Faith,

Matthew