This happens to all of us. We hear something, see something or experience something that quickly elevates in our mind to being a much bigger deal than it actually is.

I'm not making this up. When we started Great Lakes Church I highly doubted we'd make it past our first year. No, I wasn't dumb enough to actually tell someone this... but I added up all our resources, the size of the launch team and the amount of effort needed to pull this off and I was convinced that we were doomed! 

When we sent out our first mailer for the "Grand Opening" and immediately lost our lease with the school district, I absolutely believed that my worst nightmare had become reality. We called an emergency meeting with some of our launch team and it took me a few minutes to even join them in the living room 'cause I was too choked up and kept wiping away my tears that would stop coming. I'm embarassed to say it, but I was on the verge of going into one of those ugly "Oprah moment" cries.

What was I afraid of? If my worst fears would have been realized, I'd still have the friends I have today... my family would still believe in me...  and I might actually be writing this from a beach in San Diego!

It's pointless to say, "Ignore your fear". That won't make it go away. But I can tell you from experience that you need to walk into your fear. It's an exaggerated view of reality. Surround yourself w/ "go-getters". Years ago I coined a phrase that FDR stole for his inaugural address: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!" I should have copyrighted it when I had the chance.

Dave

PS: If Great Lakes Church is YOUR church or you're considering making it your church, there is no better time to join us than this Sunday as we kick off our new series, "RELAUNCH". We're going to be refocusing ourselves on the who, what and why behind the reason Great Lakes Church exists!