I can still remember the bitter taste in my mouth when the Town of Collierville told us that they were not interested in selling the old First Baptist Church building located right off the Town Square. Unbelief, anger, and surprise—I could not believe it had turned out this way.  For two years we had pursued the purchase of that property. It was ideal for our philosophy of ministry—to be a parish church that seeks to share our resources with our town. When you dream of being a parish church, and think not so much of a thriving church but a thriving town, and when you are sure that you need to be in the heart of the town to fulfill those purposes, and then you see a key location taken away from you—it is a bitter pill to swallow.

I was so sure that God wanted us to be located in that building. It had drawbacks that were severe. It had limitations and was landlocked.  Nevertheless, in my mind I was sure that God was going to clear the way to purchase that property. I knew, simple as that, I knew. So when it didn’t happen, I still thought it would happen. It was not until the wrecking ball began to pound the structure into a pile of rubble that I was forced to face the conclusion that I was wrong—facts are stubborn things. Every time I drove by the structure off the square I wanted to spit. I was mad at God; I mean ticked. We argued about this for months.

When we began a new search for church property and began to look at various locations for St. Patrick’s future home it only got worse. Most of our options were on the periphery of the town and with each location we looked at there were problems—cost of the land, cost to make the site inhabitable, or location. How can you say you are a parish church, rooted in a place, wanting to plant other parish churches in other locations, when you are in the middle of nowhere? The more we looked, the more I would remind God that we had a good deal and that he had missed a good opportunity to help some of his friends. God, of course, reminded me that he was God and that I wasn’t and that I was neither omniscient (all-knowing) nor all-wise. He also reminded me that when I assumed his role as the all-knowing and all-wise one that my life usually devolved into anxiety and worry.  By this time it was a friendly argument; God had healed most of my bitterness, yet I can say that I had no sense that we would have the opportunity to be geographically located in the heart of the town on a major road.

Our leadership hired Commercial Advisors to help us in this quest. They are a firm that helps companies and churches match their corporate goals and culture to a geography and place that will help them fulfill their dreams. We knew and trusted them, and needed their expertise to help us get consensus on where we should buy property for a future church site in Collierville. After several meetings, they began the process and we waited.

Mike Mokros would keep us abreast of the various sites they were exploring and as I listened, either the price was outrageous or the location was not exactly what we were looking for, and I began to sink again. I mentioned to God that perhaps he had made a mistake a couple of years back with the church that was a grass field by this time. After all, there are not many sites left in Collierville to place a church that has our philosophy and purpose. I thought to myself, “This will take a miracle.”

Two days before Commercial Advisors was coming back to us with their PowerPoint, road show, presentation of their findings, Mike got a call from Commercial Advisors, who told him that a property at the corner of Byhalia and White Road had just come onto the market. When he called me and told me about the 16 acres that I had driven by everyday for almost 7 years, located on the central northwest carrier in Collierville, situated at the edge of the largest density of homes in Collierville, and less than half a mile from Poplar, I almost wrecked my truck. When I recovered, found my phone, and steadied the truck, I held my breath as I asked how much they were asking for the property. I wept when he told me. I immediately called Larry Jensen at Commercial Advisors. Larry is an elder at Second Presbyterian Church and he was as stunned and amazed as I was and could only say, “Jim, this is a God thing.” Here was a piece of property in the center of the town that had not been on the market since I lived here, and at the eleventh hour of our search the owner had decided to sell it to a church.

I am constantly amazed at the way I think I know how things will turn out. After our congregation voted to buy the property, I spent a long time reflecting on the last couple of years in the odyssey.  I can’t tell you the worry; anger and stress I put myself through when the future I had planned for this communion of believers fell through. All that was God saying, “You don’t know what is best for you; if I allowed you to have that three-acre property, you would never have 16 acres located in the heart of the town with lots of land for all your children to run wild!”  

I have been reminded constantly in the last two years that faith is the essence of Christianity. We don’t know the future. We plan with as much wisdom as possible, but we can’t be sure about most things. We are like children; how do we know what is best for us? How can Eliot, at six, understand why we make him do homework or Patrick understand why he can’t watch R-rated movies and play video games six hours a day?  They can’t! Children don’t know what is best for their lives. They just have to trust that their parents are doing things that are for their good, so that when they grow up, they are equipped to face a life that is full of fits and starts. We are no different, with one exception. We have the ultimate Father who, even when we don’t understand, is working all things for our greater good and doing more than we could ever think or imagine….