Setbacks and Comebacks by Bob Jones

For every setback God will give you a greater comeback.

Our church leadership learned this lesson the hard way.

We cornered the market on setbacks. Or at least it felt that way in 2001. The process of relocating Central Tabernacle from an urban location in an iconic facility with a rich history of ministry, to a farmer’s field in Edmonton’s northwest frontier was rich with setbacks.

What was envisioned to last no longer than three years took over six.

We faced setback after setback after setback.

No money. No land. Negative momentum. Three strikes and you know what they say.

But, instead of being called “out” we found out about God’s provision in a way that only adversity and obstacles can reveal.

For each setback God gave us comeback. And the comeback was usually greater than the setback.

We found land at just the right time. We were able to purchase more than we needed and sold some to pay for what we kept. So, we got our land for free.

Now, 18 years later, North Pointe is a thriving come-as-you are community of 3,700 that exists to offer real hope, new life and lasting purpose.

Our setbacks taught us tenacious truths. Truths that we need now as we are facing a fresh set of setbacks. But that’s life.

Facing a setback? Here are somethings we learned that may help you.

14 Lessons We Learned

1. It’s always too soon to quit.

2. Never, ever, ever, ever quit.

3. The worst moments in our lives make us who we are.

 “…my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12

4. God’s delays are not denials.

5. When all hope seems lost hold on one day longer.

6. Following God’s will is a marathon not a sprint. You need endurance, stamina and perseverance. It’s a marathon of hope.

7. Perseverance is a long obedience in the same direction.

8. God has great things for us in all seasons of our lives.

9. God leads us in ways that we could never imagine as we follow him.

10. Stay gentle. Stay soft. Fight cynicism with curiosity. The curious are seldom cynical.

11. Faith is wavering between belief and unbelief, doubt and assurance, hope and despair, and finally, hesitantly, with your heart in your hands, acting on the belief part. 

12. There are three stages in most great tasks undertaken for God: Impossible…Difficult…Done.

13. Whenever you start to do anything for the Lord. It won’t be as easy as you think. The fact that you are doing it for the Lord seems to make no difference at all. 

14. God lets us struggle and sweat so that we learn to trust in Him at a deeper level than ever before.

God bless you in persevering and trusting Him to see you through. You will get through this.

I am a recovering perfectionist, who collects Coca-Cola memorabilia and drinks Iced Tea. My office walls are adorned with our sons’ framed football jerseys, and my library shelves, with soul food. I write to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.

Please follow my writing at Pointes Of View.

Unexpected Obstacles by Carol Harrison

Speaking at retreats, events and camps gives me an opportunity to share stories from the Bible and real life experiences and sometimes share stories or books I have written as well.

A few years ago I was asked to speak at a weekend mother/daughter camp in Northern Saskatchewan. I had the privilege of speaking at this event two other years and knew what to expect. The age range could be from six to eighty. The weekend had a theme based on the summer camp theme from that year and I would need to prepare, write and speak three messages.

This year the opportunity to connect with mothers and daughters came with a small built in obstacle - a short time of preparation since I would be filling in for the intended speaker who had become ill. I trusted God to provide the messages on the theme of Surrender and said yes.

I wrote an outline about living intentionally with three headings: Retreat, Rough Road, Restoration.
In the second session of rough road I wrote these words, "Accepting each day as it comes, knowing God is still in control. Our day starts, things spiral out of our control, the day ends unlike what we planned."

As I wrote and planned my breathing became more laboured. My asthma flared up - another huge obstacle. I used my medication and my home nebulizer but they brought only minor relief at first. My husband wanted me to call the camp and tell them I could not honor my promise to come. I was sick. I refused. With only ten days until the retreat I did not want to leave them scrambling to find yet another speaker. I kept trusting God to help me breathe.

It became apparent that this obstacle loomed larger than it first appeared. Nothing eased my breathing enough to make my husband comfortable with me driving over two hours away from the city by myself and then speaking. I also knew my room would be upstairs which added to the concerns. Yet I trusted that God had a plan for this opportunity to share during this weekend. I just did not know what it should or could look like.

My oldest daughter Lorilee agreed to attend the event with me and do the driving. She could also help monitor my breathing and be a voice of reason to help me quit being stubborn and seek more medical help if necessary. I loved the idea of attending together and then I realized this opportunity could take on a different look. We could speak together, sharing from a mother and adult daughter perspective.

The camp director loved the idea. My husband and I loved the idea. My daughter warmed to it and I sent her the outline and notes I had written even as fear of doing something like speaking to a group for the first time filled her mind. We spent a week working together on messages and object lessons. We prayed about my health, for open hearts of all attending the weekend and that we would speak the words God wanted us to speak.

We retreated into God's Word and then to the lake for the weekend. We had bumps in the road for timing and health but we were available for whatever God had planned. The obstacle turned into an opportunity to hear my daughter share details of some tough stuff she had gone through as a teen and young adult - details I never heard before. We shared how these tough times had affected us individually, as a family and in our mother/ daughter relationship. Then we talked about God's work in our lives with each other and the weekend's participants.

When I wrote about the rough road I did not know that God would use the obstacle of my lack of breath in a way to  strengthen my relationship with my oldest daughter as we both surrendered to him.

 We closed the last session with these words "As we leave our time of retreat and go out to live intentionally to be all God plans for us to be, let's remember these verses from Ephesians 3:20,21
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen."

As a speaker, published author and storyteller, Carol Harrison is passionate about mentoring people of all ages and abilities to help them find their voice and reach their fullest potential. She shares from her heart, telling stories from real life experiences and God’s Word to encourage people and help them find a glimmer of hope no matter what the circumstances. She believes we need to continuously grow in our walk with God and lives out her storytelling passion by speaking at women’s events and retreats, Bible Camps as well as school assemblies and church events. Carol is a wife, mother of four adult children and grandmother to twelve. She makes her home is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.