Hopeful, Broken, Waiting....Lord, Move Us!
Don't let the title of this blog entry send any of you into panic mode. We are not moving anywhere and are in fact content to stay put, right where we are, for the rest of our lives. If....that is what the Lord has purposed for us. Did you catch that? There is a message to be heard from that statement I just made.
Life is good. Most of us can say that, because hopefully we have put the experiences of life we have had thus far or are enduring this very moment, into perspective because quite simply God works it all together for our good! All of it! The crap you are putting up with in your family, whether is simply struggling to get along with your spouse and work out issues in your marriage, with your children, with your job, in your circle of friends, etc. Whatever it is, stop right now and consider in the grand scheme of things you are blessed! I guarantee you have at least 3 things you can point to right now in your life that you are thankful for. So, with that, are you resigned at this point that you are simply going to settle that whatever struggle you are facing, whatever pace your life has taken, is okay and you are satisfied with the status quo? Or do you find at the bottom of it all, when you take time out to simply sit and focus on what matters most to you in this moment, are you left with a desire for something more?
Check your pulse in a few areas right now:
1. Family/Home life
2. Church life
3. Work life
What's your pulse right now? How is God shining through these areas of your life? Are you growing in these areas? Or do you need to ask God to break you down and do some pruning, perhaps start something fresh, breathe new life into an area that is currently unsettled?
Many of you know my story, our story. Ryan and I have been on an amazing journey for years now. We have learned from both the good and the bad, and I believe we are both stronger because of it. When God opens a door to an opportunity, we have to be prepared for some unexpected hiccups to occur. Often it is not God causing the hiccup, it is man. Remember, we are human. For every single church, pride and complacency can be the downfall for a pastor and for a leadership team. The appointment of any pastor or leadership team, deacon, elder, whatever your church's "system" is, comes with great expectation. It starts with having the highest expectation on themselves. That means being available to your church for support, commitment to a lifegroup beside the people you are committed to serve/lead, and being available outside the church schedule. Ministry work is blessed and burdensome work. I saw my Dad go through it, my father in law, and now my husband. I am sad to say I've heard more stories of failure than success in the lives of pastors I've known personally or read about in the social media publications the last 10 years. It is truly unsettling. Ministry work is not what it was 10, 20, 30 years ago. The message has not changed, we are committed to furthering the Kingdom of God and the salvation of Christ to be shared with everyone in our community, in our country, in our world. The methods and the handlers of the methods we use are what is screwing it up. We have got to get out of our own way, that is where it has to start. We have got to realize that this thing God has called us to, gifted us to do, has nothing to do with us but all to do with Him! We cannot do any of this, this ministry work without first and always acknowledging that the purpose for which we are doing this is our Great God!
For a number of months now, Ryan and I have been feeling very unsettled, broken and aware of God's preparing the way for us to serve in new ministry opportunities. We aren't sure what, where, when, how...but we feel very strongly His hand is moving in our hearts, in our lives. Would you pray for us, as we listen and wait upon the Lord? I was inspired to blog today after reading Psalm 27. I can't stop reading through it, reminders of God's provision for us, to shield us and protect us from anything that would come against us, cause us harm or distract us from being in this present moment with our Father God.
We will not give up, we will wait with great expectation upon our God, we are strong because He resides in us and will take us into His arms in our weakest moments. (Psalm 27:14/The Voice translation)
Life is good. Most of us can say that, because hopefully we have put the experiences of life we have had thus far or are enduring this very moment, into perspective because quite simply God works it all together for our good! All of it! The crap you are putting up with in your family, whether is simply struggling to get along with your spouse and work out issues in your marriage, with your children, with your job, in your circle of friends, etc. Whatever it is, stop right now and consider in the grand scheme of things you are blessed! I guarantee you have at least 3 things you can point to right now in your life that you are thankful for. So, with that, are you resigned at this point that you are simply going to settle that whatever struggle you are facing, whatever pace your life has taken, is okay and you are satisfied with the status quo? Or do you find at the bottom of it all, when you take time out to simply sit and focus on what matters most to you in this moment, are you left with a desire for something more?
Check your pulse in a few areas right now:
1. Family/Home life
2. Church life
3. Work life
What's your pulse right now? How is God shining through these areas of your life? Are you growing in these areas? Or do you need to ask God to break you down and do some pruning, perhaps start something fresh, breathe new life into an area that is currently unsettled?
Many of you know my story, our story. Ryan and I have been on an amazing journey for years now. We have learned from both the good and the bad, and I believe we are both stronger because of it. When God opens a door to an opportunity, we have to be prepared for some unexpected hiccups to occur. Often it is not God causing the hiccup, it is man. Remember, we are human. For every single church, pride and complacency can be the downfall for a pastor and for a leadership team. The appointment of any pastor or leadership team, deacon, elder, whatever your church's "system" is, comes with great expectation. It starts with having the highest expectation on themselves. That means being available to your church for support, commitment to a lifegroup beside the people you are committed to serve/lead, and being available outside the church schedule. Ministry work is blessed and burdensome work. I saw my Dad go through it, my father in law, and now my husband. I am sad to say I've heard more stories of failure than success in the lives of pastors I've known personally or read about in the social media publications the last 10 years. It is truly unsettling. Ministry work is not what it was 10, 20, 30 years ago. The message has not changed, we are committed to furthering the Kingdom of God and the salvation of Christ to be shared with everyone in our community, in our country, in our world. The methods and the handlers of the methods we use are what is screwing it up. We have got to get out of our own way, that is where it has to start. We have got to realize that this thing God has called us to, gifted us to do, has nothing to do with us but all to do with Him! We cannot do any of this, this ministry work without first and always acknowledging that the purpose for which we are doing this is our Great God!
For a number of months now, Ryan and I have been feeling very unsettled, broken and aware of God's preparing the way for us to serve in new ministry opportunities. We aren't sure what, where, when, how...but we feel very strongly His hand is moving in our hearts, in our lives. Would you pray for us, as we listen and wait upon the Lord? I was inspired to blog today after reading Psalm 27. I can't stop reading through it, reminders of God's provision for us, to shield us and protect us from anything that would come against us, cause us harm or distract us from being in this present moment with our Father God.
We will not give up, we will wait with great expectation upon our God, we are strong because He resides in us and will take us into His arms in our weakest moments. (Psalm 27:14/The Voice translation)
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