{"id":906,"date":"2012-03-26T19:08:51","date_gmt":"2012-03-26T19:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/erikfish.com\/?p=906"},"modified":"2019-09-19T19:46:59","modified_gmt":"2019-09-19T19:46:59","slug":"birth-of-a-baby-birth-of-a-movement-stories-on-scpx-fifth-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erikfish.com\/2012\/03\/26\/birth-of-a-baby-birth-of-a-movement-stories-on-scpx-fifth-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Miraculous Birth. The SCPX Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
January 2008<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOh my gosh! The baby is being born right now!\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I held my wife\u2019s hand as she lay on the hospital bed, in labor with our fourth child, Graham Anthem.<\/strong><\/p>\n It had been a difficult pregnancy, not so much physically, but spiritually.<\/strong><\/p>\n At 32 years old, a decent ministry career, and a rapidly growing family, we both sensed the Lord calling us to close one chapter in our lives and open another. I started dreaming again. Not just ordinary dreams, but dreams I sensed were from God. Dreams about seeing God move powerfully in the world. Dreams about being in the middle of a wave of God\u2019s Spirit in our generation. Dreams about a youth movement that would shake nations. Sometimes they came at night. Sometimes they simply etched themselves on my mind as I prayed and talked with God.<\/strong><\/p>\n I had some candid conversations with God during that time:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cGod what are you doing today? How can I be on the edge of what You\u2019re doing today? Could there be another Jesus movement in our generation? What do we need to do to prepare for it? What can we learn from past moves of God to prepare for a new movement in our generation?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Dreams of a new student movement took shape. I saw students traveling from campus to campus, multiplying simple, creative expressions of church. I didn’t understand it at first. Sometimes God shows us things we don’t yet understand. Soon, the Lord spoke to me, “Erik, remember, this vision is not about campuses; it’s about nations.”<\/em>\u00a0I knew what I dreamed of wasn’t a clever way to do “college ministry.” It had to do with fulfilling the Great Commission.<\/strong><\/p>\n Jen and I never imagined the adventures and the nations where our dreaming would take us – the joy, the beauty, and, at times, losses along the way.<\/strong><\/p>\n As news of our pregnancy came that year, we felt we were pregnant with something spiritually as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n As Graham grew in Jen’s womb, I spent six months praying about how also to respond to the dream growing inside me. It soon became clear many things would need to change about how I saw \u201cministry\u201d, the church, my job, my marriage, and my family. Jen and I spent the next six months praying often, sensing a transition was coming. Those were difficult times; but they were also some of the deepest times of closeness with God I\u2019d ever known. Though I had experienced some \u201csuccess\u201d in ministry, I was riddled by doubts and fears. During those six months, God began to Father me through those fears…and lead me to overcome them.<\/strong><\/p>\n Are the dreams in my heart good? Can I do it? Isn’t it dangerous to step out on a precipice with God and try something new and different? What if no one understands? Will I be alone?<\/em> What if I fail?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/em>I discovered God is a Father who raises His sons and daughters to overcome their fears \u2013 not to hide from them. This is what God did for me during that time. He led me to face everything I\u2019d ever been afraid of \u2013 and overcome them.\u00a0I believe our true destiny \u2013\u00a0the fullest expression of living life in a way that matches the deepest longings of our heart\u00a0\u2013 is directly related to facing the things we fear and letting God show His power through us to overcome them.<\/strong><\/p>\n