This was an amazing time away for us.

— It was one of the most fun family vacations we've had (most of the kids were old enough to ride roller coasters!).

— At the same time, Cara and I woke up early every morning while the kids slept to talk and pray for wisdom from God about the next step we felt the Lord was leading us toward for the church we were pastoring at the time.

We knew God was getting ready to do SOMETHING BIG, but we just couldn’t put our finger on it... We assumed it would be the continued growth and blessing of the place we were serving.

Then, two weeks later, we were both fired by the board of that church because they no longer wanted a pastoral leadership structure.

Wait, what? How was this your plan, God? This didn’t make sense at all... God, I thought you were telling us to get ready for MORE.

And He was... we just couldn’t see it at the time.

After the punch to the gut, we made the decision not to throw mud or try to get even. We chose to be people of peace, shook the dust from our shoes (as instructed in Matthew 10:14), and trusted Jesus with whatever the next step would look like.

And you know what? God absolutely gave us a special kind of grace and favor.

People rallied around us, we held church at our home for the next three weeks, and because God showed Himself faithful, Dream City Church was born!

This post is from one year ago today, and I’m blown away by the caption Cara used on this photo of us on the balcony overlooking the Ozark mountains...

"I love dreaming about the future with you."

“Dreaming”—Dream City Church

How funny it is to look back and see how God was dropping these breadcrumbs all along the way...

We didn’t know it then, but the very conversation we had on that balcony overlooking those mountains in this photo was preparing us for the dream that was coming.

I’m sharing this to say: If you’re going through a season where it feels like a setback, just keep trusting in God.

This is our story, and there are parts of it that we didn’t like, but God used those parts to bring us where we are today.

The pain of losing what we thought was God’s will was the very catalyst that brought us to God’s will!

He was bringing us to this NEW place with many of the same people we were already pastoring. These people saw the vision with us, and when trouble came, they ran to us, picked us up, and God used them to reaffirm our purpose.

We will be forever GRATEFUL to them.

We have more relationships and are more ingrained in this community and this area than we ever were—or ever could have been—had we stayed where we were.

God had to pop that proverbial "bubble" around us and set us FREE in ways we never could have imagined.

And He wants to do the same for you!

I want to encourage you—don’t give up!

What happened to us did SUCK, but giving up wouldn’t have made anything better!

Start looking around for the breadcrumbs God has dropped in your path, and follow His voice (His Word).

Ask for His wisdom! Side note: God's wisdom is useless if it doesn’t lead to action (in other words—it’s one thing to “know it,” but it’s another thing to “do it!”).

Then take that next step!

What are the breadcrumbs around you pointing to?

What’s the one thing you know the Lord is speaking into your heart, the wisdom He’s given you that you need to follow through on?

I know this: if He spoke to you, you can—with His strength—absolutely do everything He’s called you to do!

Prayer:

Lord, we thank You for Your faithfulness, even when life takes unexpected turns. We may not always understand the path You’re leading us down, but we trust that Your plans are greater than anything we can imagine. For those reading this who feel stuck, hurt, or unsure of what’s next, I pray that You fill them with courage, peace, and the confidence that You are working all things together for their good. Open their eyes to the breadcrumbs You’ve placed along their path, and give them the wisdom to take the next step in faith.

Help them to not give up in the face of setbacks, but to lean into Your strength and trust that You are leading them into something greater. Just as You were with us in our darkest moments, I pray that You would walk with them and guide them through their own seasons of uncertainty. Let them feel Your presence in every decision they make and remind them that You are a God of new beginnings.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen.

--PZ