Aftermath!

The House FM and My Praise FM just held Pledge Drive 2011. Yeah, you know...if you listen, that it is the one time of the year where we come to you and ask you if you want to join God in what He is doing with the ministry of this radio network.

As I sit at my desk, with the faint hint of Old Spice from one of our nice volunteers, I reflect on what happened in the last two weeks. As the phones have quieted a bit, I experience how awesome God is when He moves through His people. You listened, you submitted, you followed, you pledged. For me, your servant, it is a humbling responsibility. You trust God. I know that, I see that with your pledge. Thank you.....for trusting.

I trust too. I trust that God will take your pledge and bless it. He is building His kingdom through your pledge of support. It's not about the amount, it's about the trust. Here's what God does...on the other side of your radio. He takes His word, through the lyrics and through the music notes, and he reaches hearts. He encourages faith. He saves souls. I hope you see that in your pledge.

This is a big deal. It's God's deal. I trust that God will take His word and send it out. He does that. The evidence of His work is obvious. He is at work in your life. He is at work in your hearts. He is at work in His Kingdom. You encourage the Eldons out there who contemplate suicide everyday. You save the whispering girls who hide out in their rooms because parents are fighting. You save the Jessicas who want to cut themselves over earthly struggles. You make a difference in the lives of the Mistys that had a spouse die right in the middle of today and remind her she is not alone. He makes you focus on what is important in your life. He helps you fight another day.

He allows you to follow His heart to the broken, the confused, the lost, the hurting. That's what your pledge of support does. We don't always communicate that each time you are listening, but I hope you know. This is more about what touches hearts. It's about what touches God's heart. How God deals, heals, and strengthens you. Not about about what tickles your ears. I pray you see that.

Jeremiah 1:12 is one of my favorite promises in the Bible: "I am watching over my word to perform it." As a servant to His word, there is a lot stress caused by a lack of trust. I don't trust myself to do what God has called me to do. I sometimes don't trust God to do His job. Why? I am a control freak. But here is the promise....I can't do what God has called me to do. Only God can. And He does. He watches over His word, sends it out, and fulfills it. God is doing the work, not me....and I can relax. I relax because I trust God is working in and through the message and the music. I will fail every time, but God can't.

In the aftermath of raising $1.3 million dollars, along with the huge burden of accountability and responsibility, this promise takes all the pressure off of me! I am constantly reminding myself that I cannot do it. In the aftermath of all the paperwork, the pledges, the emails, the wrapping-up-of-fund-raising and forward thinking....this promise, this fact in God's word, keeps me in a place of dependence upon God. And that is the most peaceful and powerful place on the planet. Your pledge is there too. Thank you for trusting God.