Planted, Not Potted: Why Heart for the House Matters

In 1986, my parents stood on the ground with a vision that seemed impossible. A church that would minister dignity and esteem to all people. A place where the kingdom of God would break through in Osceola County in a way no one had seen before. They cast a vision that started as Abundant Life Christian Center, then became Faith Christian Fellowship, then Heartland Worship Center, then Heartland Community Church, and finally, City of Life.

And now, 40 years later, here we are.

We celebrate Heart for the House Sunday annually, and review the impact that this church family is making in our home, our backyard, and our world. In 2025, we've seen:

• 2,165 salvations across both campuses. 
• 387 baptisms.
• Our largest Kids Conference ever, with 180 kids in attendance and 195 parents.  We saw 65 kids make a decision to follow Jesus and 53 children baptized!  
• 210 students attend Soulfire, our youth camp, with 60 baptized. Our church sponsored the attendance of 57 of those students! 
• The re-launch of our Nona campus at Luminary Middle school in January. Since it's opening, we've seen 160+ salvations. 
• The purchase of new property along 192, bringing the land our church owns to 34 acres total.

The Power of Planted Faith 

Heart for the House is not just about celebrating what happened. It's about understanding who we're called to be.

I had a friend growing up who would say, "Where do you stay?" Not "Where do you live?" but "Where do you stay?" And at first, I thought it was just his way of talking. But then I realized there's a mentality underneath those words.

When you stay somewhere, you're just passing through. You bring a suitcase. You make complaints to the owner when something breaks. You're not invested because it's not really yours.

But when you live somewhere, everything changes. You bring a toolbox. You fix things. You invest. You build. You plant roots.

I think too many of us know how to stay but not how to live in the house of God.

Building Atmospheres of Faith

Faith is never a passive bystander. You can't just watch faith happen. You have to actively participate in it. I want to give you some practical ways to do that.

First, faith says amen. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20 that all of God's promises are yes, and through Him, our "Amen" is spoken by Him to the glory of God. God says yes, but we must say amen to create a partnership with Him. Amen means "I agree with that. I'm taking hold of that."

Jesus actually calls Himself "the Amen" in Revelation 3:14. So when you say amen, you're speaking the name of Jesus. Don't be the "that's good" person. Be the amen person.

Second, faith says hallelujah. It means "praise the Lord," and it's a word you can say when you're feeling down or when you're happy. Say it when the Cowboys score. Say it when things go wrong. Say it because you're doing serious spiritual business and you're standing on holy ground.

When I found out my son had cancer, I struggled to worship. So I drove to an empty field, got out of my car, and started going crazy. Dancing, praising, worshipping. I probably looked insane, but I didn't care. Nothing was going to steal my praise. My praise would give me my breakthrough.

Third, faith worships boldly. Even if you can't sing, sing loud. There's a guy who comes to our services who absolutely cannot carry a tune, but he sings so loud and with so much passion that being next to him moves me. Why? Because heaven is moved by his passion for God, not his pitch.

Worship is not the warmup. Worship is the warfare.

The One-Word Revival

And finally, faith gives sacrificially.

My dad has always said something that's proven true in my life: Giveis a one-word revival. When Amy and I face big decisions or feel pressed by circumstances, sometimes the first thing we do is give something above and beyond what we're comfortable with. We want to sow a seed as an act of faith.

Now, you can't bribe God. Giving doesn't guarantee He'll do what you want. But what it does is show God how committed you are to His promises. It's a tangible way to say, "Lord, we're all in on this."

And I'm telling you straight up: there has never been one single seed that we've sown over an issue in our life that we haven't seen God give us a breakthrough. Every single one, He's brought to completion.

Generosity isn't losing something. It's planting something.

It's like a guy going out to his backyard every morning looking for an orange tree to just appear. It's never going to happen unless you plant a seed. And when you plant that specific seed, it will grow because that's how it's designed to work.

Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." If you're a kingdom person who sows into the kingdom, you're going to reap kingdom blessings.

Renters vs. Owners

Here's the thing: renters stay where it's comfortable. Owners live where they're called.

Renters ask, "What do I get?" Owners ask, "What can I give?"

Renters live day to day. Owners invest every day.

When you stay in a hotel and something breaks, you call the front desk. When you own a house and something breaks, you fix it. All the homeowners know exactly what I'm talking about.

We've learned to visit atmospheres of faith instead of building them. We've learned to attend the house but not abide in the house.

David said in Psalm 122:1, "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'" And in Psalm 27:4 he says, "One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life."

He didn't want to visit. He wanted to dwell. He wanted to live there.

Psalm 92:13 promises us: "Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God."

Planted people flourish. Potted people dry up.

When you're planted, the storm strengthens you. When you're potted, the storm moves you.

Faith Builds a Movement

Last night, I got a call that one of the patriarchs of Osceola County had a heart attack and probably wouldn't make it. When I got to the hospital, he started thanking me. He said, "You have no idea what that church has done. You have no idea the impact you've made."

This man was part of the property we're on right now before we ever got here. And as the Holy Spirit moved, he started saying, "I wonder if God will forgive me. I feel like a sinner."

I talked with him about Jesus. He started crying and weeping, saying, "I feel Jesus right now." I led him in a prayer, and he declared Jesus as Lord of his life.

Our church has been sowing kingdom seeds here for 40 years to the degree that a man who was a young guy when we started is now at the end of his life, and God is still using us to pour into that generation.

Heart for the House is about continuing to build something that outlasts us. It's about understanding that faith doesn't rent a moment. Faith builds a movement.

This Is My House

I'm not just staying here. I live here.

I'm not renting faith. I'm owning it.

I'm not staying in a service. I'm living in His presence.

This is God's house. And this is my house.

I have a heart for the house.

When you give to Heart for the House, you're not just writing a check. You're signing your name to God's promises. You're saying amen to what He's doing. You're investing in a future you may never see but your kids and grandkids will inherit.

You're choosing to be planted, not potted.

And planted people? They flourish.

So today, let's set an atmosphere of faith together. Let's say amen. Let's say hallelujah. Let's worship boldly. And let's give sacrificially, knowing that we're not losing something but planting something that will bear fruit for generations to come.

This is our house. And together, we're going to see it flourish in ways we can't even imagine yet.

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To find out more about Heart for the House Sunday and City of Life's impact in our home, our backyard, and our world, and to give, click here.