Confirmation

I'm going to have to post everyday to fit all my thoughts in. Lori and I were both set to go to One Heart Many Hands and really feel God leading us to go. We even had a family member provide most of the registration fee for us which was a huge blessing. Now suddenly we don't have someone to take care of our children while we are gone. We are trying to discern if this is God closing that door or Satan trying to keep us from going. The registration will be due Sunday so there's a bit of a time crunch. I was needing some confirmation and went to the Our Daily Bread devotional and today's devotion was on Phillipians 2. See my previous post. That was the passage that God led me to for this trip. The whole situation got me feeling down and questioning our calling to missions when my son's devotional tonight referenced Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. I feel more strongly than ever that God is bringing us much closer to going overseas. I had several people bring to my attention that we could just be "missionaries" to people around here because there are many people needing help. In a sense they are right. We are all called to be missionaries in our own neighorhoods and jobs. God has just called my family to go to a different culture to tell them the good news of Jesus. We are still not totally set on what to do about our mission trip this summer but will continue to pray.

Stepping Out of the Boat

Where do I start. My last post was starting the new year and so much has happened since then! To start I'm being "reassigned" to a lower paying position at work. Needless to say that has caused a lot of concern and worry. Lori and I have been in the waiting for a few years now and God seems to be pushing us out of the boat. (a reference to Peter walking on the water to Jesus) We have been trying to see what God is trying to tell us in this situation. We are solely leaning on him right now. My insightful music pastor asked if God might be telling us that it's time to go into missions. The signs seem to be pointing in that direction. We have been looking into teaching English overseas and that is probably the route we would go. The question is how soon.

On another note we are possibly going to One Heart Many Hands in Orlando Florida. It is a giant Work and Witness program that the church of the Nazarene puts on before their General assembly. About 3,000 people will complete almost 200 service project in some of the poorer areas of Orlando. I can't wait to see how God will use this. I am helping to make plans for our church group to go. I was drawn to Phillipians 2:1-4 while praying about it.

¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. This year will definintely not be a boring one!