Every day is a gift from God. Mine is May 20th.

May 20th. Today is the birthday of our son Josiah Nathaniel. Four years ago today, May 20th, 2009 our son was born. Like most children, his entrance into the world included a great deal of fanfare and hoopla. Josiah's birth was additionally complicated however, because he was only born with three chambers in his heart. Every second we would have with him would be an extra special gift from God. The seconds added up into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days, and days into months. 8 months to be exact. Josiah lived his beautiful brave little life for 8 months and 4 days. What an incredible gift God gave us.

May 20th. Four years later. God has given an incredible gift to us once again. No, we didn't rush to the ER and deliver a baby. Yet, the situation isn't so far off. God has given us the great responsibility of birthing and caring for a new church. Yesterday, May 19th, the people of First Baptist Church North Tonawanda voted to close their doors, and allow me to lead a team, supported by Randall Church, to plant a church in their facility. Today, on my sons birthday, I was physically given the keys to the campus, embraced by one of my new church partners, and called "pastor" for the first time at the NT campus. I am so overwhelmed by God's gift to us on this may 20th day once again.

You see, in human terms, this kind of thing doesn't happen. A church of 20 people or so with a large facility, debt free, in good repair, in a highly strategic location across from the local high school and with money in the bank, isn't willing to hand it over to some buckshot 30 something year old pastor, 40-50 years to their junior.

But they did.

These beautiful people were able to look at what might happen in the kingdom of God over the next 5 years instead of what might still be salvageable in their own kingdom in 5 years. God opened their eyes. God opened their hearts.

God showed up, and He is the only one that gets the glory for what is about to happen.

What a gift. May 20th is a date I will absolutely never forget.