When I answered that late-night phone call in 2008, I had no idea that it was a phone call that would lead to major life-change for my little family. Ben and Drew were already in bed when Steve called from a day of workshops at the conference at Saddleback in Southern California. “How’d it go today?” I asked.
“Great. Ummm, JB, I think God was really talking to me today,” Steve said.
“What’s up?”
“Well, today while Rick Warren was talking, I felt like God was calling me to be a senior pastor somewhere. Then I heard a pastor from Keller, TX named Bob Roberts. He only spoke for about 5 minutes, but I felt like God was telling me that not only was I to be a senior pastor, but that I was supposed to plant a church. Does that sound crazy?” Steve asked.
Most definitely, that sounded crazy to me!!!!
This phone call led to many conversations over the next year and a half. Steve wrestled with this “calling” that he had felt at Saddleback. The more miserable he became, the more apparent it was to me that the Lord had indeed called him to plant a church. It was very confusing as we both had good jobs, great friends, and we were perfectly happy in Kaufman, TX. Finally, I told Steve that he had to decide something. He was up nights and his spirit was less and less settled. After much prayer, we decided that we would “plant a church in Fort Worth (the place the Lord had put on Steve’s heart) UNLESS the Lord stopped us.” There were so many hurdles to cross that planting the church would only be possible if the Lord made it happen.
Every single hurdle was knocked down as the Lord sold our house twice, provided a teaching job for me, provided a house that was big enough to start church in that we could afford, & provided some people who were crazy enough to leave where they were and join us in Southwest Fort Worth.
Commons Church started as a bible study with 8 adults in the home of Thomas and Kimberly Law in April 2010. Steve and I closed on our house in Fort Worth on July 9th of 2010. We began meeting on Sunday mornings in our home on July 18, 2010. We began to get a little tight in our house, and we moved our Sunday meetings to Sue Crouch Intermediate on January 16, 2011. As of right now we have 4 community groups meeting during the week with plans to start several more in the Fall.
One of the most exciting things about Commons Church, for me, has been that our boys have been taking this step of faith with us. They have prayed along with us and seen prayers answered. They have gone through heartache at leaving good friends, and seen God love on them and take care of the smallest of needs and wants.
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