Changes in God's Time

Life is full of changes. It is neat as a Christian to know that God is in control of the changes in our lives. It is complete security to know that everything that comes into our lives first goes through God's hands and is perfectly fitted just for us. It is also a blessing to know that God works in our hearts and lives through His Word and directs our steps throughout our entire lives.

God placed us in our church 5 years ago. At that time my husband was working in the church as an assistant pastor. Two years after we came to this church God led for my husband to assume the role of senior pastor. It has been a time of learning - as this was the first time we have ever been involved in this particular role of ministry. God has blessed; and we have seen Him work great things in our lives - as well as the people here at the church. We had planned to live here forever and planned on sinking our roots in deep as we ministered here. However, God had different plans.

About 18 months ago - God began burdening our hearts for families. This burden has grown deep and through much prayer and counsel God has called us to pursue an itinerant preaching ministry focused on the family and family issues. It will involve going into churches and preaching meetings on the home and family. We plan on spending time writing and putting out materials about the family from a Baptist perspective. We desire to travel overseas and minister to missionaries and their families in the work God has called them to do there. We also would like to arrange for family missions trips - so that Christian families can go - as a family - to the mission field and get a burden together for souls who have never heard. There are so many things that are involved in what we feel God has called us to do. We are excited about the future plans God has for us.

~

We also are saddened to leave this place where God has placed us for the last 5 years. Sunday we shared our heart and future ministry with the people of the church and informed them of the pending resignation of my husband from senior pastor. We will be staying here until the church is able to locate the man they feel God has equipped for this ministry here. We are praying for a smooth and easy transition as well as God's leading in the church to know God's fit for them in their new pastor. We anticipate that God will bring that man here before August of next year. Our departure will be when the new pastor has been installed or August 31, 2008 - whichever God allows to come first.

Please pray for us at this time. We need, as a family to locate a church where we will become members and base out of. We are committed to the local church as God's means of ministry for this day and age. We would love to stay here; but feel it best for the new pastor coming in to be able to assume his new role without the presence of the "old" pastor still sitting in the pew. We know God has a church that He has designed for us to attend - we are just trusting Him to lead and direct us to that place here in the near future.

We are equipping the family to prepare for traveling on the road and ministering as a family together. Piano lessons, violin lessons and family music practice are in full swing at this time. The kids are very excited about getting ready for the traveling. They also find themselves sad at the fact that they will be leaving their friends here. Change always has hard things about it - leaving friends will be a tough one in this change.

Thanks for your prayers. We look forward to seeing what God is going to do in the near future.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

- Jeremiah 29:11