Do you really want to know what's on my mind, Facebook? Most of the time that question just fades into the background and I don't even notice it. But today it sparked something in me. Because something is on my mind.
The faces of those at Umpqua Community College in Oregon that were shot and killed simply for their faith in Jesus Christ.
I can't help but to picture them being my own loved ones. Who would have said yes? Who would have cowered down in the face of fear? Who would have realized in that moment that they are not saved?
I would like to imagine that I would have the strength to say yes even if it meant that I would not see my family again this side of heaven.
We cannot let those that died do so in vein. Let it be a reminder to each of us that we cannot and should not hold anything above Him. Not even our own life.
Thursday was the day that God called some of His children home. It was the end of their life here on earth. But it was definitely not the end of their story. Their legacy lives on.
They have instilled a new courage in me. In my family. In a nation that so desperately needs it. They are heroes of the faith.
Did this event cause you to think about what your answer would be? Would you be able to confidently say yes? Or would staring death in the face make you realize that you are not saved? What if you are not given the chance to answer that question?
I know I don't want to gain even a second more on this earth if it means losing my soul. May God give us the courage to face death with confidence and hope instead of doubt and fear.
I pray that you would know you are loved by your Creator and that He sent His one and only Son to die for you so that you can have eternal life with Him. In the end knowing Jesus is all that will matter.
So, let us lay aside our differences and run the race that is set before us. We have a mission to accomplish and standing at the starting line bickering over who is worthy to run the race is not going to get us anywhere. In reality none of us are worthy.
But He is.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Extreme Makeover...Selvaggio Edition
Hello again! It's a new month, but at least it's not a new year! :) Today I plan to dive into what I intended to blog about last time before I realized God had different intentions!
If you are someone that has known our family for any length of time, you would not recognize us now. Our life has experienced an Extreme Makeover. The best part about it is that God is the Host.
So, here's our story...
When we decided to stay in Jacksonville we honestly felt so spiritually beat-up that we allowed Satan to convince us that we had let God down. We believed that by choosing to stay we had also chosen to fall out of His will for our lives. We felt like a sail boat with no wind. We felt stagnant. But, most of all we felt unsettled. I continued to lead the kid's ministry at our church and Joe was continuing to work for the company he had been with for 15 years. We both longed for something, but Satan was still convincing us that God was done with us.
We began praying and fasting over several aspects of our life. The main two being work and our future in ministry. We looked back at the journey we had been on and began remembering how we felt God leading us. The two things we clearly recalled were starting our own business and helping with a church plant. Both we mistakenly thought were only an option if we moved to North Carolina. It was then that we realized that if in fact those two things were God's will for us, they were still His will for us.
We began focusing our prayers on those two possibilities. That was the point when God put it on our hearts that Joe was to start his own business. We knew that could not be done in our own strength. We have monthly expenses and a family to provide for and not a lot of savings. The only way it would work is through God's provision.
We prayed, begging God to either give us peace or help us know that it was not His will. We both felt extreme peace about moving forward. So, Joe left his company of 15 years and started Tigris Landscape Solutions. God provided in every aspect of getting started and continues to place people in our path that can use our services. We have several weekly customers already and even some sizable one time jobs. He has provided and continues to give us peace about the future.
That brings us to the second prayer focus, our future in ministry. We knew God opened our eyes to the need and purpose of church planting through our time with the New Church launch team. He gave us a strong desire to be a part of a church plant in some capacity. So, we decided to locate a church plant in Jacksonville that God could use us in.
I am known by some as "Ms Researcher," because I can not make a conscious decision without a ridiculous amount of research. This was no different. I was determined to research and find a church plant to contact and serve in the kid's ministry with. I found several in Jacksonville...way more than I realized were out there! But, we did not feel like God was leading us to pursue any of them.
Humanly, I was ready to give up, maybe we were where God wanted us. But, God would not allow us to feel settled with that thought. That is when I realized that I had attempted to control the situation. God never laid it on our hearts to find a kid's ministry or to spend an obnoxious amount of time looking for a church plant. That was me jumping the gun because kid's ministry is where he had us before and I am a "researcher."
So, we began praying that God would lead us to the place that He wanted us, whether it was a place I had previously found or something I somehow missed. We also prayed that He would make it abundantly clear in what capacity we would serve. Shortly after that, I came across Newsong Church, a church plant that although had been public knowledge since November of 2009, I had not come across in all my research. I'm sure He was waiting for me to seek Him and His will completely, not my own version of His will created in my own power.
So, we met with the pastor, Ryan Turner and his wife, Jenny. There was an immediate connection personally and they even had a need for kid's ministry! We thought this was PERFECT! So, we joined the team and began dreaming of what could be in kid's ministry for this church! Then I remembered telling God that we would follow His lead on where to serve in the church. This was an issue because we had jumped the gun (again!) and told them we would do kid's ministry. So, we prayed, thinking that God would give us peace about it. Well, He didn't. I wasn't sure how to proceed. Then, a few days later Ryan announced at a meeting, in front of the entire team that he wasn't sure kid's ministry was where God was leading him to use us. WOW! But, why am I surprised? Why would God put it on Ryan's heart to use us where He wasn't planning on us being?
So, we have committed to serve in whatever aspect is needed. We're not sure what will come in the future, but I do know that we will consciously seek God's will over our own!
So, right now we are in a different house, at a different church and even have a new company. The constant? God...and He was there through it ALL! :)
Until Next time...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Continuing Our Journey
Happy New Year! I know, it is almost April but this is my first post of the new year! I am planning to post more often...we shall see! :)
As of my last entry we were anticipating a move into a rental home that God provided for our family. We were excited, even though 1/2 of our family of 4 (including my husband) had not seen the house except from the outside! He had faith in me that what I was describing was in fact a reality. And let me just say he loved the house!
That sort of reminds me of how our God is...He gives us hopes and dreams and leads us where He wants us to go and we have to believe that although what He is saying sometimes seems too good to be true, it can be reality if we continue to follow & obey Him.
A lot has happened since our decision to stay in Jacksonville. We have both individually and as a family grown so much spiritually. Although we received an out-pour of support about staying in Jacksonville, we still had people that were very hurt & confused by our decision. We had to work through relationships that were very special to us and even more importantly we had to seek our heavenly Father for comfort, direction and clarity.
I do not regret one second of what happened, even the time that we were preparing for a move that did not even take place. I grew more spiritually during that experience than I have in my entire life! I learned what faith looks like. I learned what faith can do. I learned that even when you feel like you have failed, God can pick you up and use you in ways that you can only dream of. He is my Redeemer. He is my Savior. He is my EVERYTHING!
There were young believers that did not understand why we would not go if we were confident that we were following God's will by going. Let me just say that it was not intentional for us to mislead people that were like family to us. We were not at any moment being dishonest when we said to everyone that we knew God was leading us to move forward. We felt in our hearts that we were on the path God intended us to be on. And I believe that still to be true. That experience was part of our faith journey. We would not be where we are today if the events had gone any different.
This morning pastor & author Mark Batterson twittered something that spoke very loudly to me... "Sometimes the Lord leads you down a street to get you to another street to get you to a side street you wouldn't find any other way."
Just as we will never understand the death of a loved one that is taken too early, I do not know that I will clearly understand the reason for what happened. My speculation is that God used it to bring us closer to Him. To kill pride. To show us that He is our Provider. To teach us that we need Him to be the most important thing in our lives. To open our eyes to our potential when we allow Him to work through us. To lead us to where we are now. I could go on and on with the wisdom I gained from this experience, but I will not truly understand until I am standing in His presence. Until then, I will accept every experience He so graciously gives me and the mercy I am so undeserving of as I seek to grow closer to Him and live only for Him!
I intended to go a different direction with today's entry, but God apparently had different intentions. I guess that means that I will need to blog again very soon to share the latest on our continuing journey!
Heather
Friday, October 30, 2009
Selvaggio Family Update
It has been several months since my last posting and a lot has happened. We are at yet another place in our lives where we have to discern our next step as we seek God's Will for our family.
We listed our house for sale over the summer and after realizing the serious implications that would come from our situation, we quickly shifted to rental. Well, we rented the house within a week to an awesome family and we were moved out a week later! We then moved in with my mom anticipating our move toNorth Carolina as part of the New Church Launch Team in early 2010.
Around the time that we moved I began to feel like God was no longer leading us in that direction. I prayed and prayed, but did not mention it to Joe in fear of dampening his passion. After several weeks went by Joe shared with me that he was feeling the exact same way! At that point we realized that if both of us were feeling the same that we had to go straight to God as a couple...asking Him for clarity and direction for our family! After all, this all started as we began to pursue what we strongly felt was God's Will in the first place!
We began to pray, fast and consume ourselves with His Word. We were begging God to speak to us! Please God, tell us where you want us and we will go! Joe and I both felt God saying to remain focused on Him and He will direct us. At that point we didn't feel Him leading us toNorth Carolina
To be honest, this was a bit devastating for us. As a family, we had been planning for this move for months and were really, really excited about it! We were going with some of our best friends and could not imagine what God was going to do through us...and for us to get us there! Our faith opened a HUGE platform for Him to be glorified! We could not imagine not seeing what was to come on the other side! But, we did not feel Him leading us in that direction anymore. We were very, very confused.
I was talking to one of my closest friends and she said, "Maybe God brought you to this point and is pleased with your faith thus far, but had other plans for you from here." When she said this, I immediately thought of the story of Abraham. I went straight to the Bible so I could read that story again.
In Genesis 21:12 God said to Abraham, "...Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted." So, in Genesis 22, when God told Abraham to bring Isaac up the mountain to be sacrificed, Abraham obeyed Him, believing that God was going to keep His promise all though he didn't know how.
At this part I thought of how Joe and I knew that humanly speaking it would be next to impossible to relocate our family toNorth Carolina
God brought Abraham all the way up the mountain to sacrifice his only son and Abraham did this by faith, and faith alone. But, God was sending Abraham on this journey for one reason, to test his faith. God was pleased when Abraham got to the place of the sacrifice and it was then that He revealed His plan.
We know with all of our heart that God brought us to this place. We know that He continued to give His blessing with each step of faith that we took. It is hard to understand why we came this far only to feel Him guiding us in a different direction. But, as it says in Isaiah 55:8-9, "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
We listed our house for sale over the summer and after realizing the serious implications that would come from our situation, we quickly shifted to rental. Well, we rented the house within a week to an awesome family and we were moved out a week later! We then moved in with my mom anticipating our move to
Around the time that we moved I began to feel like God was no longer leading us in that direction. I prayed and prayed, but did not mention it to Joe in fear of dampening his passion. After several weeks went by Joe shared with me that he was feeling the exact same way! At that point we realized that if both of us were feeling the same that we had to go straight to God as a couple...asking Him for clarity and direction for our family! After all, this all started as we began to pursue what we strongly felt was God's Will in the first place!
We began to pray, fast and consume ourselves with His Word. We were begging God to speak to us! Please God, tell us where you want us and we will go! Joe and I both felt God saying to remain focused on Him and He will direct us. At that point we didn't feel Him leading us to
To be honest, this was a bit devastating for us. As a family, we had been planning for this move for months and were really, really excited about it! We were going with some of our best friends and could not imagine what God was going to do through us...and for us to get us there! Our faith opened a HUGE platform for Him to be glorified! We could not imagine not seeing what was to come on the other side! But, we did not feel Him leading us in that direction anymore. We were very, very confused.
I was talking to one of my closest friends and she said, "Maybe God brought you to this point and is pleased with your faith thus far, but had other plans for you from here." When she said this, I immediately thought of the story of Abraham. I went straight to the Bible so I could read that story again.
In Genesis 21:12 God said to Abraham, "...Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted." So, in Genesis 22, when God told Abraham to bring Isaac up the mountain to be sacrificed, Abraham obeyed Him, believing that God was going to keep His promise all though he didn't know how.
At this part I thought of how Joe and I knew that humanly speaking it would be next to impossible to relocate our family to
God brought Abraham all the way up the mountain to sacrifice his only son and Abraham did this by faith, and faith alone. But, God was sending Abraham on this journey for one reason, to test his faith. God was pleased when Abraham got to the place of the sacrifice and it was then that He revealed His plan.
We know with all of our heart that God brought us to this place. We know that He continued to give His blessing with each step of faith that we took. It is hard to understand why we came this far only to feel Him guiding us in a different direction. But, as it says in Isaiah 55:8-9, "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
We don't know what God has planned for our family, but we know that He brought us this far and we will continue to serve Him while we are waiting and praying for Him to guide us exactly where He wants us.
As we continue to discern God's Will for our future we take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Although we may have no idea what our future holds, He does!
It has been an emotional roller coaster, especially when I attempt to take this all in without letting God stay in control. Humanly, this situation seems overwhelming, but with God...ALL things are possible!
Romans 8:28 reminds us that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose for them." Even though this situation seems like the end to so many things, we have to remember that verse and know that He will make it work for the good because we love Him!
Please pray for us as we move forward and discern God's plan for our family. Even though we are no longer moving to NC, we still plan to live out Hebrews 11:1...living by faith, with confidence that God will use us here and guide us wherever He wants us!
Also, please join us in praying for TJ & Wendy Ward & their girls and the rest of the New Church Launch Team as they prepare for their move to
****After I wrote this blog a couple nights ago and saved it as a draft, Joe and I were blessed beyond our imaginations! As I said before, we rented our house out and are staying with my mom. We have been looking at rental homes and praying that God would help us find something comfortable for our family, but that we would be able to stay within the same budget as our mortgage. Well, we looked and looked at houses in various areas of town and walked away disappointed more times than I would like to remember. Until yesterday. I found a newly listed house online Wednesday and scheduled an appointment to see it Thursday morning. It was EXACTLY the price we were wanting to spend and it was AMAZINGLY beautiful! We prayed, asking God to confirm in our hearts that this should be our next step. We put our application in late yesterday afternoon and much to our surprise got a phone call from the agent within an hour stating that we got the house! It was completely a blessing from God! I know that nothing is too big for Him, but we were still amazed at the home He provided for our family! What an answer to prayer!
We love and appreciate all of our family and friends more than you can imagine! Thanks to all of you for the support and encouragement you've given our family during this time! We can't wait to see what God has in store for us next!
With Love,
Joe, Heather,
Friday, July 3, 2009
Surprised to see Me?
When circumstances arise that we need God to act, we pray. We pray for Him to heal our sick family, sell our house, protect our children, lead us to find a new job, and the list goes on, but you get the picture.
Now, we pray for these things like we want Him to answer, to come through for us when we really need Him. So, my question is why are we so surprised to see Him when He shows up?
We look for every earthly reason as to why circumstances change, why our sick family is all the sudden better when the doctors said it was impossible or would take much longer than it did, or why a job suddenly came through, and so on. So, why is it that we do not immediately know that it was a result of prayer, of God moving in our lives through our act of worship?
In Matthew 21:21-22 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
As I sit here I am feeling very convicted. There are so many times I have prayed and much to my surprise the circumstances improved. Then I sit there wondering why & how it happened. Hello Heather! It's God! The same God that you prayed to, the same God that parted the Red Sea, the same God that kept Daniel safe in the Lion's Den! He is the same God now as He was then! He may not literally be moving a real mountain, but He is moving what seems like a mountain to us.
Although we are to believe Him for what we ask, we are not the first generation to show lack of faith in answered prayer. Do you remember Peter's miraculous escape from Prison? The story is found in the book of Acts, chapter 12 and goes like this...
King Herod arrested James and ordered him to be killed by a sword. He saw that this pleased the Jewish people so he proceeded to arrest Peter. Herod imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.
Now notice, the church was earnestly praying for Peter. Okay, here is where it gets real good...
The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists.
Did you read that? The chains fell off of Peter's wrists! Let's see what happens next...
The angel ordered Peter to get dressed and put on his sandals & his coat. He then led Peter past the guards and out of the iron gate as it opened by itself. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
Peter proceeded to go to the home of Mary where many were gathered for prayer (they were praying for Peter). He knocked at the door, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”
Okay, here is where it gets all too familiar...you know, the part where the prayer has been answered, but there has to be another explanation.
"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.
Why were they so amazed? How many times are we amazed & astonished when God answers our prayers? How many times do we give up when we think that we are past the point of no return? Peters friends prayed all the way up until the day that Herod was going to execute him. He was already captured and sure to be executed. But, they continued to pray. You would think that if they were continuing to pray that they would not be surprised when Peter knocked on the door. After all, that is what they were praying for.
Don't be surprised when God answers your prayer even when it seems too late. He is answering prayers in my life even as I sit here this morning. I ask Him now to help me recognize His presence in my circumstances and to not question or be surprised by my prayers being answered. I thank Him for continuing to be here & hearing my prayers even though He has already given me all I need.
In Matthew 19:26 Jesus said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” So, when you go to Him in prayer, have faith that He can answer that prayer...even in humanly impossible situations.
Now, we pray for these things like we want Him to answer, to come through for us when we really need Him. So, my question is why are we so surprised to see Him when He shows up?
We look for every earthly reason as to why circumstances change, why our sick family is all the sudden better when the doctors said it was impossible or would take much longer than it did, or why a job suddenly came through, and so on. So, why is it that we do not immediately know that it was a result of prayer, of God moving in our lives through our act of worship?
In Matthew 21:21-22 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
As I sit here I am feeling very convicted. There are so many times I have prayed and much to my surprise the circumstances improved. Then I sit there wondering why & how it happened. Hello Heather! It's God! The same God that you prayed to, the same God that parted the Red Sea, the same God that kept Daniel safe in the Lion's Den! He is the same God now as He was then! He may not literally be moving a real mountain, but He is moving what seems like a mountain to us.
Although we are to believe Him for what we ask, we are not the first generation to show lack of faith in answered prayer. Do you remember Peter's miraculous escape from Prison? The story is found in the book of Acts, chapter 12 and goes like this...
King Herod arrested James and ordered him to be killed by a sword. He saw that this pleased the Jewish people so he proceeded to arrest Peter. Herod imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.
Now notice, the church was earnestly praying for Peter. Okay, here is where it gets real good...
The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists.
Did you read that? The chains fell off of Peter's wrists! Let's see what happens next...
The angel ordered Peter to get dressed and put on his sandals & his coat. He then led Peter past the guards and out of the iron gate as it opened by itself. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
Peter proceeded to go to the home of Mary where many were gathered for prayer (they were praying for Peter). He knocked at the door, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”
Okay, here is where it gets all too familiar...you know, the part where the prayer has been answered, but there has to be another explanation.
"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.
Why were they so amazed? How many times are we amazed & astonished when God answers our prayers? How many times do we give up when we think that we are past the point of no return? Peters friends prayed all the way up until the day that Herod was going to execute him. He was already captured and sure to be executed. But, they continued to pray. You would think that if they were continuing to pray that they would not be surprised when Peter knocked on the door. After all, that is what they were praying for.
Don't be surprised when God answers your prayer even when it seems too late. He is answering prayers in my life even as I sit here this morning. I ask Him now to help me recognize His presence in my circumstances and to not question or be surprised by my prayers being answered. I thank Him for continuing to be here & hearing my prayers even though He has already given me all I need.
In Matthew 19:26 Jesus said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” So, when you go to Him in prayer, have faith that He can answer that prayer...even in humanly impossible situations.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Faith vs. Control
Can you have faith and still stay in control?
Whether we like it or not, the answer is...NO!
We are in the midst of trying to figure out how to get out of our house. I don't mean we have cabin fever and want to go somewhere. I mean we need to move out! We will be heading to Winston Salem to be a part of New Church and need to figure out what to do with our house here in Jacksonville. You are probably thinking, "duh, just sell it!" Well, it is not that simple. Without getting into details, let's just say that the housing market right now is not very pretty. If we sell, there are consequences we will face. If we rent, well, there are consequences we will face. From a human perspective we are not going anywhere. We are so lucky that our God does not see things from a human perspective!
Just like in Exodus 15 when God said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!" Then He goes on to say to him, "Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the Red Sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground." It looked completely impossible to them! There was water or the enemy on ALL sides of them. From a human perspective there was NO way out! Then God says to them that they will walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground? Can you imagine their confusion? They were expected to walk forward in faith that God would help them cross the Red Sea, a task that seemed completely impossible!
What Red Sea are you up against? What seems impossible in your own strength that when all is said and done will allow God to receive all the glory? For me it is believing that He wants our family to be a part of something bigger than we can imagine and knowing that He will work out the details along the way. Details that seem like huge mountains to us and like tiny piles of sand that He can blow aside to Him.
We do not have control of what will happen, but our God does. We must release control to Him and take the necessary steps in the direction we feel Him leading us. As we step out in faith we come another step closer to His perfect will for our lives.
He will move mountains, seas or whatever it is standing in the way of His will for you. You just have a give up control and choose faith in Him!
Let's go forward in faith knowing that He will part our Red Sea and show us dry ground when the time is right. In His perfect time, not ours.
Whether we like it or not, the answer is...NO!
We are in the midst of trying to figure out how to get out of our house. I don't mean we have cabin fever and want to go somewhere. I mean we need to move out! We will be heading to Winston Salem to be a part of New Church and need to figure out what to do with our house here in Jacksonville. You are probably thinking, "duh, just sell it!" Well, it is not that simple. Without getting into details, let's just say that the housing market right now is not very pretty. If we sell, there are consequences we will face. If we rent, well, there are consequences we will face. From a human perspective we are not going anywhere. We are so lucky that our God does not see things from a human perspective!
Just like in Exodus 15 when God said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!" Then He goes on to say to him, "Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the Red Sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground." It looked completely impossible to them! There was water or the enemy on ALL sides of them. From a human perspective there was NO way out! Then God says to them that they will walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground? Can you imagine their confusion? They were expected to walk forward in faith that God would help them cross the Red Sea, a task that seemed completely impossible!
What Red Sea are you up against? What seems impossible in your own strength that when all is said and done will allow God to receive all the glory? For me it is believing that He wants our family to be a part of something bigger than we can imagine and knowing that He will work out the details along the way. Details that seem like huge mountains to us and like tiny piles of sand that He can blow aside to Him.
We do not have control of what will happen, but our God does. We must release control to Him and take the necessary steps in the direction we feel Him leading us. As we step out in faith we come another step closer to His perfect will for our lives.
He will move mountains, seas or whatever it is standing in the way of His will for you. You just have a give up control and choose faith in Him!
Let's go forward in faith knowing that He will part our Red Sea and show us dry ground when the time is right. In His perfect time, not ours.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Living out Hebrews 11:1
Welcome to the first post of our family blog! I set up this account almost a year ago with every intention of posting on a regular basis. Well, today is as good as any and I have some very exciting news to share!
Hebrews 11:1..."Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (NLT)
Has God ever spoken to you very clearly, but what He had to say was beyond your understanding or capabilities? He tells you that He wants you, yes you, to step up to the plate and step out of your comfort zone. You reply with a "Ummm...God, I believe you have the wrong person!" He replies with a "No, I am talking about you, but I am not asking you to do this on your own. I will be with you and continue to guide you, you just have to trust Me."
Well, this is exactly what has happened to Joe & I. Our very close friends, TJ & Wendy Ward, have been called to start a church plant in Winston Salem, NC. When they first asked us to pray about it, we immediately knew that God had been speaking our involement in this into our hearts already! Neither Joe or I hesitated to be a part of this awesome undertaking!
The only thing was that we were not in any position to relocate to another city! Joe has been with his company for 14 1/2 years and it's a local company with no opportunity of relocating, we have a house to sell in a hard market, we have our share of debt & other bills, the girls are in a christian school that we absolutely love, I work for the church and run the children's ministry, both of our families are here...and the list goes on! How in the world can we up and move to a new city? Then He reminded us... "It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own" (2 Cor 3:5)...we have to release our control on these situations and hand each of them over to Him. He is the only way any of this will work out.
We know this is God's will for our our family. He has called us and we just have to be willing to trust Him. Listen to what it says in Ephesians 3:20..."God is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes!" (The Living Bible) ...He is bigger than anything holding us back and can handle the things that seem impossible to us!
He is in control and we are stepping out in faith knowing that He will walk us through every challenge that we will face! We are excited to release our grip on the things of this world and grasp on to the things of eternal value! He has called us to reach the unsaved and that is exactly what we will do in the city of Jacksonville until we leave and in the city of Winston Salem when He is ready for us to go there! Material things can not go to heaven with us, but people can!
Please pray for the Ward family and our family as we take this huge leap of faith! It is not going to be easy, we all know that. But, we are ready to step out in faith and let Him work out the details. We are giving Him all we have and I have to say, it is an exciting feeling!
Until next time...
Hebrews 11:1..."Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (NLT)
Has God ever spoken to you very clearly, but what He had to say was beyond your understanding or capabilities? He tells you that He wants you, yes you, to step up to the plate and step out of your comfort zone. You reply with a "Ummm...God, I believe you have the wrong person!" He replies with a "No, I am talking about you, but I am not asking you to do this on your own. I will be with you and continue to guide you, you just have to trust Me."
Well, this is exactly what has happened to Joe & I. Our very close friends, TJ & Wendy Ward, have been called to start a church plant in Winston Salem, NC. When they first asked us to pray about it, we immediately knew that God had been speaking our involement in this into our hearts already! Neither Joe or I hesitated to be a part of this awesome undertaking!
The only thing was that we were not in any position to relocate to another city! Joe has been with his company for 14 1/2 years and it's a local company with no opportunity of relocating, we have a house to sell in a hard market, we have our share of debt & other bills, the girls are in a christian school that we absolutely love, I work for the church and run the children's ministry, both of our families are here...and the list goes on! How in the world can we up and move to a new city? Then He reminded us... "It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own" (2 Cor 3:5)...we have to release our control on these situations and hand each of them over to Him. He is the only way any of this will work out.
We know this is God's will for our our family. He has called us and we just have to be willing to trust Him. Listen to what it says in Ephesians 3:20..."God is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes!" (The Living Bible) ...He is bigger than anything holding us back and can handle the things that seem impossible to us!
He is in control and we are stepping out in faith knowing that He will walk us through every challenge that we will face! We are excited to release our grip on the things of this world and grasp on to the things of eternal value! He has called us to reach the unsaved and that is exactly what we will do in the city of Jacksonville until we leave and in the city of Winston Salem when He is ready for us to go there! Material things can not go to heaven with us, but people can!
Please pray for the Ward family and our family as we take this huge leap of faith! It is not going to be easy, we all know that. But, we are ready to step out in faith and let Him work out the details. We are giving Him all we have and I have to say, it is an exciting feeling!
Until next time...
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