California Dreamin'

Eleven years ago this past fall, I received, from the Lord, the defining revelation of my life and ministry. While studying the book of Proverbs, in preparation for preaching at Lakewood Church, the Lord imparted to me the Church By God’s Design revelation out of Proverbs 9:1. Shortly after receiving the revelation, I came to realize that the Church By God's Design message was not just for "a" church, but for "the" church.

About six years later (I'm uncertain of the exact year, and being on a plane while writing this, I have no way of verifying it), I journeyed alone to sunny southern California with a dream in my heart of documenting this God given revelation in book form. I located a small, but comfortable house on Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach and set up both shop and residence. For more than six weeks, I labored to record all the Church By God’s Design teaching that was bubbling up in my spirit.

My daily routine consisted of waking up early, having a bite to eat, and then delving into the topic of the day. After a short break for lunch, I would again put nose to grindstone and write until around four o’clock in the afternoon, at which time, I would lace up my running shoes and take off down the walk/run path that ran adjacent to the beautiful, blue Pacific Ocean. If I was feeling any stress at all from the long days of writing, it would surely dissipate as the sights and sounds of southern California filled my soul. Ahhhh…I can still feel the sun on my face and the cool summer wind blowing off the ocean, flooding my senses with the healing fragrance of the salty sea air.

Often, after my daily runs, I would sit on the observation deck of my rented home and gaze at the beautiful Newport Harbor to the east, with all its bright and shining sea going vessels, and the mesmerizing beachfront to the west, with its waves crashing in a relaxing melody of near heavenly music. I was hard pressed for an imagination that was more perfect than the reality I was experiencing everyday. I was most definitely, “California Dreamin’”.

You may be wondering what the significance of all this is. Why would I include these memories in a blog to “the greatest and best church staff in the Kingdom”? Well very recently (two days ago), April planned a little get away, just the two of us, to Newport Beach. She did this in response to my persistent complaining about how exhausted I was feeling. So, in a flash (and several of you can attest to that), we jumped on a plane and headed west. I wasn’t reluctant to go, but was a little reluctant to leave my pressing work behind. So, in a moment of compromise, I decided to take some of my work with me on the plane, having cut a deal with myself that I would put away my work as soon as I arrived in California. Well, one of the most pressing and important projects I’m working on is the final edits of my book (yes, the aforementioned Church By God’s Design). So I pulled out the last two chapters of my manuscript and began combing over the pages searching for typos and/or grammatical errors that I did not want to appear in print.

As I finished (for good) the last additions, deletions and corrections to my manuscript, I realized that my California Dream had finally come to pass…and on a plane to none other than sunny southern California where it had all started! Another full circle journey of God’s great grace was complete.

God has been so good to me! I’m constantly amazed at His plan for my life - one that is exceedingly, abundantly above all that I could ever ask or think. So, I will be praising and thanking God, in sunny southern California, that by His divine will and providence, a God-dream has finally come to pass…and who knows, maybe while walking along the shore of the azure blue Pacific Ocean, I might, by some gracious act of God’s goodness, find myself drifting away in the Spirit to discover another piece of the overall plan of God for me…for us! So here’s to you, my beloved confidants in the vision, and to us, who labor together to fulfill the collective will of God...and to California Dreamin’ which in my book is never overrated!