BEGINNING THE FIRST INTERNET CHURCH Feb 18, 2012

How did this site get started?  Read more on the story of how I believe the Lord brought this about.

It has been over 12 years ago when I heard the voice of the Lord telling me to start a site on the network called "First Internet Church".  This was during a time in my life when I was just beginning to understand that the Lord will speak to us specifically.  I had been a lifelong Christian in Baptist churches and was well practiced at knowing how to pray.  But what I wasn't understanding was the fact that God wants to speak to us about our individual circumstances.  It was during this time that I began to hear the Lord's voice and was learning how to respond.  However, when I heard this Word I was very hesitant to believe that it was His voice I was hearing.  I was primarily reluctant to acknowledge this as His voice because I had a prejudice against the name.  During my church years, I had grown tired of churches being known as "First" or "Second" whatever churches, and so I did not want to be a part of something that used that name in a title.

As the weeks went by I began to argue with the Lord during my prayer time, but unlike most events in the past His voice was ringing louder and louder within my spirit.  Finally, I decided to share this instruction with two men that I considered my elders and particularly my concern over the use of the name to be used.  They committed themselves to pray about it.  The next day they both came back with very explicit testimonies of how they too heard the Lord's voice concerning this matter.  What they heard was a confirmation of what I had been told and therefore encouraged me to proceed ahead.  At that point I engaged them to join with me in the process of developing this site.

I had been the owner of a computer software development company, so I was very comfortable with what I perceived to be the task at hand.  I jumped in with both feet and began designing a web site that was my idea of what this should be.  Shortly afterwards, when it was time to begin writing the code to implement my plan, a relative of one of the elders offered his company's programmers to build the site.  So, I flew to Dallas and met with them and laid out the entire plan.

Everything looked good and I was excited to be involved in an effort that I believed that the Lord had instructed me to specifically do.  But then disaster struck.  Within two weeks of the visit to Dallas the company that was going to do the coding of the site began having financial problems and this project was put on hold.  At this point I won't go into all the wonderings, struggles, attempts, etc. that we tried in developing this site other than to say that we attempted it many more times only to be thwarted at every turn.  We would even leave it alone for several years and then try to pick it up again, but to no avail. 

This past year (2011) something changed.  I wish I could say I knew what that change was but I can't.  However, I did begin to recognize that pieces of the project were coming together, although I had not been pursuing any.  Some of those pieces were as follows: 1) a company capable of writing the code was right here in my town, 2) I met a man who had the skill and desire to be the webmaster for the site, 3) an editor to edit all the Bible based lessons that I had written over the years.  All these pieces are the same ones that we have always needed but for some reason they came together in 2011.

Now in 2012, as of this writing, we are loading the data and activating the site.  As we are in the process of doing so one other unusual thing is happening.  Our ministry team has started getting requests from some old acquaintances  to provide them with personal ministry services, such as weekly video conferencing, teachings, and personal spiritual help in their circumstances.  Our team has been involved for many years in ministering to burned out pastors and in discipling those who want to become more active in ministry opportunities, but these requests will take us to a different level of relationship.  So, it appears a plan is coming together, but just not my plan.  It appears to be the Lord's plan.  And I'm guessing that even some day in the future He may reveal to me why He picked this name.

So that's my brief testimony about this site.  I have come to peace with the name and am looking forward to what the Lord has in store as He brings us into relationship with each other.

Thad

P.S.  By the way, this site does not have even one feature of what I thought it should look like 12 years ago.

Posted in: First Internet Church