WEBVTT 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:07.120 Welcome to the MetaCurch Podcast. 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:08.240 My name's Clayton. 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:10.400 I'm the pastor here at MetaCurch. 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:18.000 And my hope is that today's podcast finds you at the perfect time in your life that God uses it to inspire and enlighten you. 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:20.640 I hope that you enjoy today's message. 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:26.640 Welcome back to our Whatever It Takes series. 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:29.039 If you're new with us, my name is Clayton. 00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:39.039 I'm the lead pastor here, and all of you have joined us at a very exciting moment in the life of this movement that we call MetaCurch. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:52.240 Last week we announced plans to move forward in faith on a building project that will create a new home base for what God is doing through your movement right here at MetaCurch. 00:00:52.560 --> 00:01:02.320 Now, if fundraising during a pandemic seems like the craziest thing that someone could possibly do, that's because you are right. 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:17.120 And yet, we looked last week and we found great comfort in the fact that in Scripture, when the circumstances are the most difficult for the people of God is often when we see the greatest miracles from God. 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:22.000 And God is calling us to build it now. 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:28.079 There is real problems in our world, real tension, real frustration. 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:32.319 It seems to only be mounting as days move ahead. 00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:34.719 And we have hope. 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:41.840 That's why we have said from the beginning of MetaCurch that we do whatever it takes to get people to Jesus. 00:01:42.079 --> 00:02:02.640 Now, last week we went through all the details of the project and how much it's gonna cost and what we are asking for people to consider and giving these three-year financial pledges, these commitments to give consistently for three years above and beyond their normal offering to help us get this building done, as well as where we're at in that process right now. 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:10.000 You can find all of that by going to our message last week or by sticking with us to the end of this message today. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:16.159 You can always watch previous sermons at metachurch.tv or on the MetaCurch YouTube channel. 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:30.400 What I want to do this week is I wanted to take some time to share the story of all God has done and how He has been showing provision and blessing and favor to us through this entire process. 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:40.000 And as we were going through this building process, uh God brought a very famous Old Testament character to mind. 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:49.680 And as I began to study the story of Noah, I found great parallels that I think will help us understand the moment that we find ourselves in today. 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:53.360 My message today is titled Story Arc. 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:54.560 Would you pray with me? 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:58.080 Father, we love you, and we thank you for loving us. 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:06.479 God, we thank you for the excitement around what you are doing through us and what the future might just hold for MetaCurch. 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:31.280 I thank you as you continue to challenge us to never view church as a building or an organization or a service that we attend, but you continue to instill in us the truth that God, the people, that is what makes the church a movement of people who want to see others come to the hope that we have found in you, Jesus. 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:33.520 And so we ask for open minds and hearts. 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:39.039 God, we ask that you would stir up our generosity for this moment, this pivotal moment in our history. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:41.759 We love you and we pray these things in Jesus' name. 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:42.719 Amen. 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:45.199 My message today is story arc. 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:51.199 And first, what I want to do is I want to give us a template to really understand story with. 00:03:51.280 --> 00:04:06.159 And once we understand this template to a certain degree, then we'll move forward and use it to help tell not only the story of Noah and his ark, but the story arc that we have been on as Metachurch. 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:12.240 Uh, story is something that has been studied since really the beginning of time. 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:26.000 It was Homer who several thousand years ago came to this astonishing conclusion that every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:27.279 That's right. 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:28.800 Groundbreaking. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:37.839 It took thousands of years of human history for someone to realize every story has a beginning and a middle and an end. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:52.160 It was a few hundred years ago that a German playwright named Gustav Freytag took this to a new level with what is now called Freytag's Pyramid or the story arc. 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:56.639 It's a very simple, almost pyramid-shaped picture. 00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:02.240 And every story arc, which is quite simple, has the same key components. 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:06.399 It starts in what we call uh an equilibrium. 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:12.399 This is where when you look at a movie or you read a book, it's it's the beginning stages. 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:18.160 This is the character, and not only the character, but the context that the character is surrounded by. 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:24.720 And some people have really great equilibriums where life is good and mom and dad love each other and there's plenty of food on the table. 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:36.560 And some people have terrible equilibriums where they are born into chaos, they are born around addiction and violence, and there's everything in between, but the equilibrium is the starting place for the story. 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:43.519 Equilibrium is inevitably, which means always interrupted, by an inciting incident. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:45.360 An inciting incident. 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:52.240 And this, represented by the orange, is like a door that once you walk through it, you can never go back through. 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:59.199 It's often seen as the loss of innocence or as the moment that everything changed. 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:06.560 And out of this inciting incident, we are always led into conflict and tension. 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:18.079 And this conflict and tension is shown by this steep, steep line, like ascending a mountain or making this treacherous journey. 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:23.759 The tension, the conflict is often where we get lost. 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:32.079 The tension, the conflict is where it's decided whether your story will be a disaster or whether it will push you towards your destiny. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:39.120 And if you're able to ascend your conflict and your tension, you come to the climactic moment. 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:52.399 This is the watershed where you realize whether you're going to tumble back down into mediocrity and obscurity and the status quo, or whether you will overcome and head towards your future. 00:06:52.879 --> 00:07:00.720 The climactic moment ends in a resolve, and the resolve brings you to a new equilibrium. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:07.120 This is every movie you've ever watched, it's every novel you have ever read. 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:08.959 Something happens. 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:13.839 Everyone's living peacefully in the Shire, but all of a sudden, an inciting incident. 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:16.720 We have to take the ring to mount whatever. 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:17.759 I'm not a nerd. 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:19.120 I don't actually know the story. 00:07:19.279 --> 00:07:21.519 It's like Luke Skywalker's just good. 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:22.399 He's chilling. 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:32.959 But then the crazy little alien guys kill all of his family, and all of a sudden, conflict and tension, and he's got to come to the climactic moment where he has to fight his own father. 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:34.959 Big reveal, it's his father. 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:42.720 He's got to kill him and overcome to get to the resolve and the new normal, the new equilibrium symba, just living the great life. 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:44.639 He just can't wait to be king. 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:49.759 But oh no, stampede, his dad is killed, and now he's living in conflict and tension. 00:07:49.839 --> 00:08:03.040 He's out trying to find himself and a mere cat and a warthog, sing him back into his senses until he goes and he has to fight Scar in the climactic moment so he can resolve and the reins can come back and he can rule at Pride Rock. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:06.240 Every story, every movie, and even your life. 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:10.639 Your life fits on this story arc. 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.319 All of us are born in some kind of equilibrium. 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:21.199 Some of us are very blessed, and some of us live in very difficult circumstances, and at some point in your life, something happens. 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:24.319 For some, it's the loss of a loved one. 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:26.079 For some, it's a parent's divorce. 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:31.600 For some, it is just hurtful words from someone who has influence over you. 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:36.080 And it creates tension and conflict that we fight our entire life. 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:41.200 This simple model is how we pastor people who are hurting. 00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:51.840 It is even how we are incorporating into our spiritual formation classes, which we will get to do at a rapid, rapid rate if we are able to secure this new permanent place. 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:57.759 This is even now the bedrock of our spiritual formation process here at MetaCurch. 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:14.080 And as I sat down and began to write out all that God has done for us in relation to this new building project over the last couple of years, I started seeing it in terms of our story arc. 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:21.759 And God began to show me the parallels between the story of Noah and his arc. 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:22.879 Y'all don't even know. 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:25.840 I am on some corny preacher nonsense today. 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:28.240 Story arc, story arc with a K. 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:30.399 Y'all weren't even ready for today. 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:33.600 Story arc to talk through our story arc. 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:38.720 I want to center it around the scriptural story of Noah because we know the story. 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:39.519 We know the story. 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:42.159 I was just telling the team right before we got in. 00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:45.519 In like children's church, we would sing, who built the ark? 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:46.960 Noah, Noah. 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:48.000 I was tripping. 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:49.679 I thought we were saying, No one. 00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:50.720 Who built the ark? 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:51.200 No one. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:53.519 I was like, No one built the ark? 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:55.519 The giant Titanic of a boat. 00:09:55.679 --> 00:09:56.879 Noah built the ark. 00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:57.679 And we know the story. 00:09:57.759 --> 00:10:04.000 And even if you didn't grow up around church, this is probably one of those Bible stories that you pretty much know the general thing. 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:08.720 It's painted on the walls of nurseries, both Christian and secular. 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:12.159 It is a famous, famous story. 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:17.039 But as is often the case, the stories we know, we read the quickest. 00:10:17.279 --> 00:10:25.120 And sometimes when we read so quickly, we miss what God may be showing us in the details of the story. 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:29.840 And so let's start on our path at the equilibrium. 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:34.799 In Genesis 6, starting in verse 9, it says, These are the family records of Noah. 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:39.039 Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries. 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:41.360 Noah walked with God. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:57.840 Man, for that to be what God said about you, how incredible, righteous, blameless walks with God, which is this metaphor for like constant companionship and communion with our Heavenly Father. 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:00.879 Noah is obviously an incredible guy. 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:04.879 But character is just one part of the equilibrium. 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:09.440 The other part is the context, the environment with which you are living. 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:15.840 In verse 11, it says, Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness. 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:23.600 God saw how corrupt the earth was, for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth. 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:25.600 And we see a couple of things here. 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:30.320 Number one, the righteousness of Noah becomes even more incredible. 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:33.759 Because what it means is he is living every day against the grain. 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:37.919 He is swimming against the flow of the current of culture. 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.320 Everyone else is corrupt. 00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:43.840 And Noah stands as righteous. 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:48.399 It also tells us about the situation that the world is living in. 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:53.039 And we're about to find out just how God feels about it. 00:11:54.159 --> 00:12:08.240 The wickedness, the lawlessness, the corruption of the world was about to lead Noah and the rest of the world to the all-time biggest inciting incident. 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:11.440 Of course, you know what's coming in verse 13. 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:18.559 God said to Noah, I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them. 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:25.440 Therefore, I'm going to destroy them along with the entire earth. 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:29.279 Everyone has an inciting incident. 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:31.279 Everyone. 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:35.600 But this one puts all others to scale. 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:46.320 To be honest, the inciting incident in Noah's story is really in stark contrast to what I would see as the inciting incident for us here at Metachurch. 00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:50.159 Our equilibrium was not surrounded by corruption and wickedness. 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:53.039 It was actually surrounded by blessing and favor. 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:57.440 In our first year of operation, we filled up our space. 00:12:57.600 --> 00:13:00.159 And because we filled up our space, we added another service. 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:01.600 And we added more room. 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:05.440 And we tore down walls and we closed in patios and we bought more chairs. 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:09.360 And every time we created room, God would fill it up. 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:16.240 And one day there came a moment where there were people who were standing in the back. 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:20.399 Where there were people who came and actually had to be turned away. 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:28.960 There came a moment where we realized we had created so much space for adults that we couldn't handle the percentage of adults to kids. 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:31.679 Our kids' space was not big enough. 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:43.360 And the heartbreak for me of even the potential of a new family showing up. 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:54.480 Because you guys who are like pre-pandemic meta-churchers, we've picked up a lot of a lot of people during the pandemic on live stream, and I can't wait to meet you and get to know you someday. 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:59.679 But those of you who are here before, you know who we reach. 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:04.240 Not just the unchurched and the dechurched, but the anti-churched. 00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:10.320 The people who have been hurt, who carry spiritual scars from their religious upbringing. 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:13.279 And the idea of them driving here. 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:16.799 Somebody in their life telling you, I promise you it's different. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:18.639 I promise you can come here. 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:29.120 The idea of them being a little bit late and us not having a seat for them, even the potential of not having a seat for their kid, it's heartbreaking. 00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:37.039 When we hit our capacity, it was like we walked through a door that we could no longer go back through. 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:39.759 Things had changed. 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:45.360 And we began to see God to see what could we do about it. 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:46.960 We were growing. 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:56.000 We doubled in attendance, but we also had growth in our community as people began joining life teams, spiritual growth, as people were being baptized. 00:14:56.320 --> 00:14:59.120 Marriages on the brink of divorce were coming back together. 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:03.519 Young people were discovering their purpose, God was growing us. 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:08.320 It's such a great problem to have, but it created a problem all the same. 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:10.240 We hit our wall. 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:13.440 And this is how every story operates. 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:19.679 Every story at some point has to be shaken out of its equilibrium. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:25.039 Every single story comes upon an inciting incident. 00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:27.279 It is inevitable. 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:32.720 And when you go through it, you are thrown into conflict and tension. 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:46.559 On the other side of your inciting incident is where you determine whether you will roll over, whether you will give up, throw in the towel, settle for the status quo and defeat. 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:58.240 Or whether you will fight, whether you will have faith, and whether you will continue to ascend and to climb towards your future and your destiny. 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:04.559 Quite an inciting incident for Noah. 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:10.720 And now he is thrown to the obvious next step of conflict and tension. 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:17.840 And this is my favorite part of the story because this is where we're living right now as Metachurch. 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:21.440 We're out of space and we've been in that tension for two years. 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:30.639 So what I want us to do is to continue looking at the tension that Noah had to navigate in order to make his way to a new equilibrium. 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:39.279 In verse 14, God said to Moses, make yourself an ark of gopher wood, make rooms in the ark and cover it with pitch inside and outside. 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:41.120 This is how you are to make it. 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:48.960 The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:58.159 This is a big freaking boat, and it represents an incredible conflict and an incredible amount of tension to manage for Noah. 00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:02.480 Noah is not an architect, he is not a boat builder. 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:03.679 He is old. 00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:09.839 Scripture says at this point, he is 500 years old, and now God says, build a boat. 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:17.680 Not just any boat, this boat will be a football field and a half and five stories tall. 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:19.359 Build a boat. 00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:23.119 The other problem is Noah lived in the desert. 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:26.880 Noah lived nowhere near a body of water. 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:33.759 And he didn't have a ram with a hemi to pull the Titanic to the nearest body of water. 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:39.599 He wasn't a boat builder because nobody built boats in a community where there was no water. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:42.240 That wasn't the only tension. 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:44.559 The other tension is um this was gonna take some time. 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:50.319 He would have a little bit of help from his sons and maybe you know his sons' wives if they could kind of help out a little bit. 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:58.400 But when we look at the chronology, it took him over 70 years to build this boat. 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:07.519 No cranes, no, no, no uh newly engineered tools that we have to work with. 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:09.920 70. 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:11.599 That wasn't the only tension. 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:15.039 Um the people in his community, you have to remember, were wicked. 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:16.319 God had already said that. 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:18.319 They were corrupt, they were evil. 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:26.880 And day after day, Noah was scorned, looked down on, made fun of. 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:28.640 He was called crazy. 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:33.039 Every day the people would wonder, Noah, still building a boat. 00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:34.240 Let me tell you something. 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:39.680 Seven hours is a long time for someone to be actively making fun of you. 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:45.839 Seven days is a long time to work on a project that you know seems impossible. 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:49.359 And Noah did it for 70 years. 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:53.920 And his tension and his conflict was not over. 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:57.440 In verse 17, God said, Understand, I'm bringing a flood. 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:09.680 Flood waters on the earth to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it, everything on earth will perish, but I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives. 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:10.799 And that is great news. 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:11.839 Okay, I get it now. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:13.440 I get it why I'm building a boat. 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:14.559 You're gonna bring a flood. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:16.559 If I have a boat, I'm in the boat, I'm good. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:17.279 We're saved. 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:22.799 God's gonna start all the way over, and Noah and his family will be the founding family of the world. 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:23.680 Great. 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:25.759 Verse 19. 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:34.640 You are also to bring into the ark two of every living creature, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:36.079 Fantastic. 00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:44.960 Now, in my tension, in my 70 years, not only am I the only boat builder in the middle of the desert, but now I'm a zookeeper. 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:56.640 This is significant tension to get all the animals in the boat to figure out the layout, to put the cages where the lions are kept separate from the lambs and the snakes are kept separate from the rats. 00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:00.000 This is real work that Noah did not sign up for. 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:08.799 But to get to his purpose and to get to his destiny, 70 years, he would have to keep working. 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:20.319 We came to the point in our inciting incident here at Meta, and it reminded me of that famous moment from Jaws where he said, You're gonna need a bigger boat. 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:22.480 We were just out of space. 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:29.279 We didn't even know where to start, and here's what we did know: that we are lacking some skills. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:31.920 I have an incredible staff here, and they've got a lot of experience. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:34.160 I am lacking some skills. 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:41.759 I'm not a real estate agent, I'm not a contractor, I'm not an architect, I'm not a lease negotiator, I'm none of those things. 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:43.200 I'm a preacher. 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:47.519 It was going to take all of those skills and more. 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:56.640 Noah wasn't a boat builder, he's not a zoologist, he's not a meteorologist, he doesn't know when the flood's coming, he's just building. 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:03.119 He had some real areas of weakness, we had some real areas of weakness. 00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:14.000 But again and again in scripture, we see that in the areas where we are weakest, our opportunities to show just how strong God is. 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:18.880 For two years, we've navigated tension and conflict. 00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:28.640 And a lot of us on staff started feeling like finding a new space was a whole nother part-time job on top of the work we were doing in the ministry here at MetaCurch. 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:31.039 And we were like, give us anything. 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:38.880 Give us, you know, a bigger bar, give us an abandoned warehouse, give us, you know, a church building sitting empty, give us anything. 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:45.119 And we looked and had some things that felt like they could be promising, but again and again they would fall apart. 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:47.599 It became very discouraging. 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:51.119 One day, Katie and I were driving west on 410. 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:53.039 And Katie's crazy. 00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:55.200 I always tell her that she missed her calling. 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:59.599 She really should have been like a spy or in the FBI, because she's the most observant person I've ever known. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:01.039 She can find anything. 00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:07.920 And I would say this one's impressive, except that it's 180,000 square feet that all of us had driven by, and none of us had seen it. 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:09.519 And Katie saw it. 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:11.279 That's a big building. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:12.480 And she was right. 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:14.640 Big sign for Lease. 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:21.039 We called it, and within a week, we were standing in the middle of an abandoned Super Campart. 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:22.400 It was crazy. 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:23.920 It looked like a horror movie in there. 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:26.799 I didn't even know how to start thinking about it. 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:30.720 But one by one, God began putting the pieces together. 00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:46.559 City Tribe, which is a sister church, had a big renovation process of an old theater, historic theater downtown several years ago, and they got us in touch with a contractor, general contractor named Rick Nanez, and Rick came in and he's been so much more than a general contractor to us. 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:55.519 He has literally held our hand every step of the way, showing us, protecting us, helping us, standing up for us, speaking up for us. 00:22:55.920 --> 00:22:58.799 You need a contractor, you need an architect. 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:00.720 I didn't even really know. 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:02.400 I didn't even really know what an architect does. 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:03.839 Like, that's just out of my purview. 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:05.359 I don't really understand it. 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:17.279 Lane, my oldest son, his best friend's dad's architect, and then we had Rick, and now we have Sean, and Sean and Rick are working together and they're figuring it out and they're taking their space and we wanted the middle, but the middle wasn't gonna work. 00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:21.279 They said, you gotta take the far right side, and we start looking at it. 00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:24.160 We begin to draw up plans. 00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:34.319 And there's a lot of unanswered questions because we don't even know what it's gonna cost, and when we find out what it's gonna cost, we don't really have any access to money because at the time we were less than even two years old. 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:35.279 We had no collateral. 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:38.240 As metachurch, we didn't own any property or buildings. 00:23:38.799 --> 00:23:40.960 We were young, we were still growing. 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:42.799 Not a lot of money in the bank. 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:50.640 We had a big problem because we were out of space and we had big dreams because we believe in a big God, but there were big gaps to fill. 00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:58.640 And we kept pushing and we kept pushing, and eventually we got some drawings of what the space could be. 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:02.640 And only time will tell exactly how stupid this was. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:05.039 I I think I think it is officially stupid. 00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:06.240 I just don't know how stupid. 00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:14.240 And everyone that I've ever talked to has told me this was a really big mistake because as soon as we had that drawing, those drawings, and as soon as we had the vision, I could not wait. 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:23.599 I came on this stage and I told this group exactly what we were thinking, and we asked you to pray, and we asked you to give to an expansion offering, and many of you gave. 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:32.079 And those gifts are a big reason why we're already a million dollars into a three million dollar project, and we jumped the gun. 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:34.160 We talked about it way too early. 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:43.599 But one thing that we understand is this isn't my movement, it's not the pastor's movement, it's not the staff's movement. 00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:45.759 The movement isn't the building or the organization. 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:46.880 You are the movement. 00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:48.079 So we're gonna tell you. 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:49.839 We got something to tell you, we're gonna tell you. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:51.200 Is it a bad business move? 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:52.400 I don't know. 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:56.559 Is it the right move for our movement? 00:24:57.440 --> 00:24:58.640 I think so. 00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:03.119 And so I got up on a Sunday and we put up pictures of what the Kmart could be. 00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:08.319 The next day I had a coffee meeting with our general contractor. 00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:10.480 It was 3 p.m. 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:16.880 While we were meeting, I got a phone call from the realtor that represented the building. 00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:20.480 I could tell in his voice something was wrong. 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:22.799 He apologized profusely. 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:27.279 He said, the people next door have expanded. 00:25:28.319 --> 00:25:31.279 And they've taken about two-thirds of your space. 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:35.599 I don't see any way that we can fit your plans in the building. 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:38.559 And it was over. 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:43.119 This is the day after we went public. 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:46.880 And we asked, is there anything that we can do? 00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:48.720 And by this time, we knew who the neighbors were. 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:50.799 It was gonna be Incredible Pizza Company. 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:58.079 They were putting their plans together, they were gonna start building in a few months, they had signed their lease earlier, they had cash on hand, it was a done deal. 00:25:58.319 --> 00:26:02.559 Incredible Pizza Company is uh an international entertainment center. 00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:06.720 They have franchises all throughout the US and Mexico. 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:12.799 And this one, with their expansion into our space, was gonna be their biggest franchise yet. 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:14.160 They're very proud of it. 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:15.920 It was a great business decision. 00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:18.799 The crown jewel of Incredible Pizza. 00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:24.559 As I drove back to the office, we had been talking about knocking on the door. 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:27.200 Let's just knock on the door, and God's gotta open it. 00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:28.960 We knock on the door, knock on the door. 00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:33.599 And I didn't know what to do, but I knew we had to knock one more time. 00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:36.640 So, not knowing what to do, I Googled. 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:39.039 Incredible pizza phone numbers. 00:26:39.279 --> 00:26:43.440 And every number I called, when I would finally get someone on the phone, I would ask the same question. 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:45.680 Hi, this is Pastor Clayton with MetaCurch. 00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:47.200 I'd like to speak to your CEO. 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:52.240 And several of those people actually laughed out loud and like, bro, I don't know the CEO. 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:54.240 I'm in a call center in a different state. 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:58.960 The CEO's in Missouri, like, like, what are you even talking about? 00:26:59.119 --> 00:27:00.240 And I say, that's fine. 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:01.519 Can you give me another number? 00:27:01.599 --> 00:27:02.720 And they give another number. 00:27:02.880 --> 00:27:06.960 And after about four or five of these, I finally got to their Missouri offices. 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:08.160 Front desk lady. 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:10.880 God had no idea, had a divine appointment that day. 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:12.160 And I told her the story. 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:20.880 And it was a moment of desperation where you have to dig in sometimes and have the most like audacious faith that you can muster, even though you are losing confidence. 00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:21.920 Muster this faith. 00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:24.960 And I just told her, we're out of space, man, and like we're growing. 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:26.319 We gotta reach people for Jesus. 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:28.640 We have this opportunity, we already have our plans in hand. 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:31.359 And she's like, okay, okay, okay. 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:33.680 I can't give you a number. 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:44.000 But we have a partner in the company who also manages San Antonio and Mexico for Incredible Pizza. 00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:45.599 I can give you his email. 00:27:45.759 --> 00:27:47.440 That's the best I can do. 00:27:47.920 --> 00:28:01.039 And so I turned out just the most like desperate vision of who we are and why this matters and why this international company should lose money and lose space for us. 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:06.079 I hit sin and I wish, I wish I was that guy. 00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:13.519 I wish I could tell you, I hit sin and I knew that in moments God was gonna move mountains for us. 00:28:13.680 --> 00:28:16.400 I hit sin and thought, it's over. 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:32.079 I hit sin and started thinking through what I was gonna get up and tell you guys, one freaking week after I made this announcement, within five minutes, the managing partner called me. 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:34.160 He couldn't make me any promises. 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:36.400 He said, We've made a business decision. 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:42.559 I doubt it's gonna change, but I promise you I'll share this email with our CEO. 00:28:43.039 --> 00:28:55.759 What I didn't know at the time is that he was in a car and he was on the way to fly to Missouri to go to the annual company party. 00:28:55.839 --> 00:28:59.279 That evening he would be in the house of the CEO. 00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:01.839 Four days later, they emailed us. 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:05.200 You have your space back, please quit calling us. 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:08.880 That was the email, and it was on. 00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:18.240 Two weeks later, the founder, CEO, the vice president, the managing partner for South Texas flew in, took Katie and I to dinner. 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:21.279 Not only did we have our space back, we had friends. 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:30.160 We had partners, we had neighbors, we had experts in commercial real estate and construction, we had experts in understanding leases. 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:37.519 We had people who were willing to do whatever it takes to help us be their neighbor. 00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:41.039 We pushed forward, we had no way to get funding. 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:45.519 No bank is gonna touch an organization that's less than two years old. 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:47.599 We met the building owner. 00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:48.880 We hit it off. 00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:49.839 He could see it. 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:52.000 He wants people in his building. 00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:55.839 He wants people in his building who are there to help people. 00:29:56.079 --> 00:29:57.440 That's why he has a school. 00:29:57.599 --> 00:30:05.759 That's why he has incredible pizza, who's one of the only family entertainment centers that doesn't serve alcohol, that skews young, that focuses on kids. 00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:08.079 He wants a church. 00:30:09.759 --> 00:30:16.079 I tried to help him understand we didn't know how we would get the three million dollars it would take to build it and furnish it. 00:30:17.519 --> 00:30:21.200 And this very successful businessman said, Let me help. 00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:31.680 He is putting up the collateral so that we can get the construction loan, so that this movement can raise the pledges to then pay it off. 00:30:33.839 --> 00:30:37.440 Over time, the engineers had to go in and sketch it all out. 00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:39.200 I was learning so much. 00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:41.359 MEP, MEP engineers. 00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:42.319 I don't know what that means. 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:43.200 Now I do. 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:45.359 Mechanical, electrical, plumbing. 00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:46.319 Is that right? 00:30:46.559 --> 00:30:47.200 Yeah. 00:30:47.759 --> 00:30:50.400 HM3, Alfred, and Wes. 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:55.200 Some of them go here, some of us just believe in what we're doing. 00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:56.799 We got the bill. 00:30:56.960 --> 00:30:58.160 It was about a hundred grand. 00:30:58.960 --> 00:30:59.680 Engineers. 00:30:59.920 --> 00:31:01.359 Kids, grow up, be an engineer. 00:31:01.519 --> 00:31:02.640 100 grand bill. 00:31:03.839 --> 00:31:05.200 Amount owed. 00:31:05.759 --> 00:31:06.400 Zero. 00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:08.799 Over and over, over and over. 00:31:08.880 --> 00:31:10.880 We're just seeing God's fingerprints on this thing. 00:31:11.039 --> 00:31:12.160 We're seeing it over and over. 00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:15.920 We're in the conflict, we're in the tension, and we're pushing, and it's hard, and it's hard. 00:31:16.079 --> 00:31:22.640 And I'm stacking all these stories over two years right next to each other so that it might start sounding like this part was easy. 00:31:22.799 --> 00:31:25.279 Man, there were days where it was desperate. 00:31:25.440 --> 00:31:29.759 There were days where the insecurity of not knowing how to actually do this was overwhelming. 00:31:29.920 --> 00:31:32.559 There were days where the decision making was paralyzing. 00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:40.720 There were days where it didn't seem like it would turn out for our good, but we kept pushing, and God's fingerprints kept showing up on this project. 00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:46.640 And we walked into our side of the building one day, and Incredible Pizza had started their construction. 00:31:46.799 --> 00:31:56.079 And while they were tearing everything out and clearing it and cleaning it and prepping it for construction, something that takes about a month and is a lot of money, we walked in. 00:31:56.319 --> 00:31:58.079 They went ahead and did our side. 00:31:59.839 --> 00:32:02.160 We noticed some stuff in the ceilings. 00:32:03.359 --> 00:32:07.920 The building owner had put in our electrical conduit to our blueprints. 00:32:08.240 --> 00:32:11.599 Time, money, blessing, favor. 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:15.519