It was nearly two years ago that I felt led to pray a very simple three-word prayer: “Lord, surprise us!”  We’ve been praying it ever since.  There was a deep hunger to see God move in ways that were unmistakable, uncontrollable.  We asked Him to do things at NCC that we couldn’t plan for.  We opened ourselves up to the unprecedented.  That prayer has been answered in so many different ways!  It started with a $3 million gift that came out of nowhere.  And it continues…

Several months ago I got a phone call out of nowhere from a deacon at Glen Echo Baptist Church.  He told me that their church was looking to gift their property to someone who could reach their community.  For several months we’ve been talking and praying about the possibility of receiving that gift.  A week ago, the church voted 11-2 to gift their property to us.

First of all, this doesn’t happen. It’s a rare church that has the humility and courage to even acknowledge that they need to do this.  And I think it’s probably even more rare for a church affiliated with a denomination to gift it outside their denominational ties.  We are so humbled by the gift that it’s impossible to put into words.  And our visceral reaction is simply this: Lord, help us steward this gift.

We have more questions than answers, but it’s no coincidence that we’ve been looking to launch a location in Maryland for quite some time!  The property has a fascinating history.  More than a century ago, the intended use for the property was the build a temple to womanhood.  And before it was a church it was the Glen Echo Firehouse.  You can still see where the old fire house doors were.

Nothing compares to the adventure of living a spirit-led life!  It fills you with a holy anticipation for the holy adventure.

Lord, surprise us!