I admit it!  Since I was a kid I was a do-it-yourselfer.  I remember engineering a TV stand out of a chair and an old breadbox.  I also taped up an old busted up boombox and got it running when I needed some music.  If there was a stereo or VCR that needed hooking up, I was there with tools, knowledge, and an abundance of electrical tape.  OK, so maybe I wasn’t Bob Villa or “Handy Andy” but I made it by without much help and there was nothing a wire coat hanger, a butter knife, and enough duct tape couldn’t fix.

My do-it-yourselfness didn’t end with TVs, VCRs, stereos, and high-class entertainment shelving either.  I read far too many comic books and wanted so desperately to be more than I was.  I wanted to run faster, be stronger, be bullet proof, and jump higher.  Concerning the latter, I even took the biggest springs I could find and attached them to an old pair of shoes.  I’m not sure how being able to jump higher would make me a super hero but, somewhere in that 10 year old mind of mine, I imagined myself leaping from nowhere to rescue the innocent and go bouncing off before the evil doers could catch up.  Unfortunately, the first and only test of my new spring-loaded sneakers only produced pain as the springs tore away from my shoes and I rolled both of my ankles.

Church planters are a lot like wanna-be super heroes.  We believe we can swoop in, start a thriving church, and transform the world as God endues us with the strength of twenty five men.  We have visions of thousands saved, healed, and delivered after we step out, run hard, work tirelessly, and preach till our voice is gone.

Unfortunately, I’ve found that I only have the strength of one man (and that’s debatable),  I can’t run very fast, and I’ve never been so tired in my life.  Not only has this calling revealed my limitations, it’s rubbed my nose in them and called me girls names from the dugout.  It’s not at all like I imagined.  …It’s actually better.

You see, God HAS given me the strength of twenty five men.  More accurately, twenty five men and women who have worked and given sacrificially by my side.  People of God who have spent long days and nights in prayer and service to see God’s Kingdom advance here in our city.  Even as I write this, I’m in tears with gratitude for every coat of paint they’ve brushed, every hole they’ve drilled (even the ones I didn’t want them to), every stain they’ve cleaned, every prayer they’ve prayed, and every dollar they’ve given.  I’m also grateful for every time I heard, “Why don’t you let me lift that?” and “What can I do to help?”

Together we’ve been able to accomplish so much more than I could have done by myself.  I’ve found that GOD WORKS THROUGH TOGETHER!  Ministry done as a team is a powerful thing.  It breaks down walls, allows everyone to be a part, and brings a blessing from God (Psalm 133).

DIY really does spell DIE.  Doing it yourself is exhausting, discouraging, and accomplishes so little.

It’s not always easy to work as a team.  Things don’t always get done the way you want, personalities can clash, and expectations can get out of control.  But it’s such a God thing.  You may never leap over tall buildings in a single bound, but you can transform your community together.

Thanks so much Mercy Vineyard Launch Team.  You’re a greater blessing than you’ll ever know!

“How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!  For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.  Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion.  And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.” ~Psalm 133