Miracle in May: God's Big Dreams Coming True

Have you ever had a front row seat for a miracle?

Just to make sure we are all operating from a similar starting place, here is the dictionary definition of a miracle:

• a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.
• a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences.
• an amazing product or achievement, or an outstanding example of something.

Two years ago, after a decade of searching, the Board of Directors of The Lamb Center decided God was leading us to embark on a bold adventure. Based on many years of work, the staff and the Board felt the time had come to take the leap and finally begin the process of acquiring a desperately needed new building for the ministry of our day shelter for the poor and poor in spirit. Faithful servants of TLC had been searching and praying for  years. Finally, it appeared the potential property had been found and all systems were go.

We just needed 4.5 million dollars to make this dream a reality.

One of the older and most highly respected members of our Board at the time, the type of person who exudes such wisdom and grace the room grows silent each time he begins to speak, said these prophetic words:

The Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He has the resources to build this building. The Lord doesn’t like debt. I believe God will provide all the money we need to build this building.

Over the course of the next year or so, he repeated these words to me several more times. Kelly, the Lord doesn’t like debt. The Lamb Center belongs to Him and He will provide.

Each time I agreed, but quietly set my expectations just a tiny bit lower: We will have to get a loan, but perhaps we will raise enough money to make our monthly payments only twice as much as our current rent. Maybe we will even raise enough money to make our future monthly payments similar to our current rent. Certainly, this threshold would be a worthy and realistic goal!

Yet, as the months began to unfold, it seemed God had other plans. Every potential obstacle with county and city officials moved forward with uncommon ease and community support was unparalleled.

And the money began pouring in.

God rallied His people and they opened their hearts and their checkbooks to love the least of these in our community through the ministry of The Lamb Center.

You know the kind of gratitude which leaves you speechless, with a lump in your throat and your eyes full of tears? Exactly.

In a series of events and coincidences too varied and numerous to recount here, God has indeed brought our beloved ministry to the precipice of something extraordinary. We needed to raise 4.5 million to move into our new building completely debt free. After less than 2 years, we are now only $600,000 short of that goal. If we don’t raise another dime for our new building campaign, our monthly payment will be well within our capabilities and much less than the rent on our current space.

But I’m not willing to settle for enough anymore. I am 100% in the “God is going to pay for this building” camp now. I didn’t dream big enough or believe big enough before, but luckily my God loves to defy expectations and delight us with His extravagance. I believe He wants us to move into our His new building later this month completely debt free.

I’ve written extensively about why I love The Lamb Center here on my blog. I have never been part of a place so completely dependent on prayer and more representative of the heart of Jesus. It is a place of radical hospitality where people who are hurting, broken and lonely are welcomed and called by name. Through the meals served, the laundry done, the time spent listening to each person’s story and the study of God’s word twice a day, The Lamb Center offers hope and dignity to those who are invisible elsewhere. I experience a glimpse of God’s Kingdom every single time I pass through the doors.

Paying cash for the building will allow us to put all future donations from our faithful and generous donors straight back into programs for our guests. We have dreams of a dentist chair, job training programs and GED classes. We want to hire more case managers so no one falls through the cracks when they come through our doors. We think God has big plans for our larger and better equipped space. We believe in miracles.

But first, we believe God wants us to pay for the building.

SO, do you want to participate in a miracle? Would you like to help us close the $600,000 gap and move into the building completely debt free? Would you like to be part of loving well the people Jesus loved most?

Join us for a Miracle in May. Click here to learn how you can help!!

My friends at #LiveFreeThursday are all writing about miracles today. Read more stories around the theme of “Its a Miracle” HERE.