Many of you have been following to some degree our crazy idea of transplanting our entire family on faith. I will admit there have been times where the thought of leaving an established church in order to move all seven of us to a new city (although one we know quite well) without a job, without a house, armed only with the confidence that we were indeed answering a call greater than many could understand, was indeed paralyzing.
Well we are here...and both the friends we left behind and the church where we have served for the past two years that I will always feel indebted to for allowing me to cut my teeth, preaching, teaching, and leading, will be surely and sorely missed.
But with every chapter ended in life another one begins and the story of our family has certainly been interesting this past week. On Friday the 15th the movers arrived and after 8 hours or loading we were off to Walla Walla to spend the evening at my parents house (they have lived in town for the past year or so); and Saturday the real chaos began.
But I almost forgot, we stopped by the house on Friday evening to drop off a couple of quick things only to find some treats and a gift card from our landlords welcoming us to town! How many landlords do that?
When unloading a new friend, who also moved his family to Walla Walla to begin a church plant stopped by to lend a hand. Gotta love friends like that right?
Most of the rest of the week has been getting to know the neighbors and we have quite the assortment. Karen has made quick friends with the single mom next door. Our boys are the same age and they have all spent every night playing ball in the yard together. I will not share all of the details of her story, but she certainly has an understanding of the Christian faith. And while she has been hurt and has the emotional scars to show it, and none of us would say she is walking a life of a testimony fitting for a brother or sister in Christ, I believe there has already been a seed that has been planted and worked, and Lord willing there is real fruit there that is close to the harvest. When thinking about us, pray for Mel (not her real name).
Across the street I have made friends with a son of a preacher, who knows the Bible well, but who also has a past that has caused a chasm between he and the rest of his family. He is a recovering substance abuse victim and the damage that this particular life has caused is far-reaching to say the least. The exciting news is that he has already said that he wants to be involved with our first Bible study when we get one started. When thinking about us, pray for Steve (again, not his real name).
To top it off, I went golfing with my Dad and brother and a friend on Father's Day. During our round our friend began asking about the church plant and our plans for the future. In particular he was asking about how I was planning on providing for my family. I told him that we were depending on financial support from churches and individuals who saw our vision, but until we could raise enough support that I would need a job and that I was currently looking, and he offered me a job. We haven't worked out all of the details just yet, but it sounds like I will be working as a jack of all trades carpenter. My friend own his own cabinet shop (I hope you see this Caleb Schlegel) and is working on getting his general contractors licence. He understands our plans in Walla Walla and also knows that I at times will need my schedule to be flexible and even be out of town for several days in July and is not only understanding of but also encouraging of those things. The best part is not only is he a Christian, but he has a kingdom mindset and doesn't just want to see his business succeed, but to see people come to the Lord.
There is a lot of news there packed into just a weeks worth of time, but I want to leave you with more than just news...I want to leave you with substance; if you are reading this and have the desire to share the gospel, if you have an understanding of the Great Commission and have a desire to make disciples right where you are but don't know where to start, let me encourage you by starting to build relationships. Build relationships with your neighbors, build relationships with your co-workers, build relationships with your schoolmates or family members and once those relationships are formed, depend on the Holy Spirit to tell you what to say and when to say it, after all, your words do not bring life, but His do and He will give you the words to say. Spend the time developing relationships and by His grace you will have the opportunity to share those life giving words with the single mom next door and the drug addict across the street.
No comments:
Post a Comment