Tim and I have been on a journey.
It hasn't been pleasant.
In fact, it's been downright painful and confusing at times.
Pain is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world.
C.S. Lewis
There have been tears, arguments due to conflicting emotions, fervent and even travailing prayer...seeking Him, seeking Him, seeking Him,...our King...and His will be done, His direction, wisdom, and guidance!
We have strived to be obedient in the situation, realizing the weight of it and how the decisions we make can affect not just us, but our children, and our friends...but yet we know that God comes first in all this, we must live out our faith, our belief, our salvation.
But through it all we've been driven closer to Jesus, our Lord.
Didn't He endure much for us?
And He is faithful to guide us, His children, when we faithfully seek Him with all our hearts.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
James 3:17
Above Reproach
It is our desire to be peaceable, non-divisive, above reproach, and full of God's love, mercy, and grace in the decision we believe God has led us to make.
Dreams, hopes, and goals have been shattered like a shiny iridescent soap bubble...floating, floating,...then pierced by the wand that just produced it.
We're grieving, but we have a hope...an eternal Hope.
I am not one to be cryptic or even subtle in my communicating with others.
Please forgive me for coming across as "not getting to the point."
I will, but I had to lay the groundwork, the disclaimer if you will.
Transparency
And with that...
God is leading us out of the fellowship/church that He had directed us to five years ago.
This is not a decision that we came to quickly, but have been praying over it for quite some time.
We are not rejecting the relationships, the wonderful friends that have become like family and really aren't they???
But we've been guided out for reasons that we are not allowed to disclose.
That one is really hard for me, I'm a talker and like to get things out in the open.
I need transparency.
So this sounds a bit paradoxical but it is not.
We've been diligent to search the scriptures to see how this is done and we are not Biblically in the position to disclose our reasons.
Enough said as we've been counseled not to say more.
And so why would I air this out here you may ask?
Well, really I've not aired anything but that God has led us out of this fellowship and that we're believing that He is faithful to lead us elsewhere to further His Kingdom.
I am also reminded that we as Christians are to be broken bread and poured out wine as our Lord was...our lives should reflect His as He lived here on this humble planet.
It's not about me, or even my desires and plans to glorify Him, but about Him and His plans to use me to glorify Him.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
What does He command me to do?
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
Matthew 22:37
If I am obedient in the greatest commandment, He is so faithful to carry out His purpose and His will for me.
He loves us and He's the King, The Lord, The Risen Saviour!
And I am my Beloved's and He is mine!
Please pray for us as we begin a new chapter on our journey here in the shadowlands, we truly desire them and need them.
For now, I leave you with this...a beautifully articulated quote from the theologian, John Piper.
Thanks to my wonderful homeschooling friend, Lesly, for posting it at facebook, I needed it!
"If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great."
— John Piper (A Hunger for God)
