I SURE AM GLAD MY DADDY IS HOME HE'S BEEN GONE FOR THREE WHOLE DAYS!!!
Greetings everyone! Long time no type! Sorry about that, busy with so many things right now! I guess I'll tell you what all has been going on in our life.
As you can tell from the title of this post, we are excited about something, while at the same time sad. I guess I need to explain. God has been really moving in our lives, showing us so many things, opening doors of opportunity for us, really showing us what He wants us to do in the coming days. We've been so excited, working hard to make it happen, trying to do all the things we need to follow through in obedience to His leading. In the middle of all this, we were hit with quite a surprise, Carrie found out this week that she was pregnant. No, we weren't exactly planning this, we knew it was possible, (see Samuel if you need explanation on that point!), but not expected. We were pretty sure she was pregnant, and it was later confirmed with a pregnancy test. The sad thing is the reality that she would not be able to carry this pregnancy to term. She began spotting this week, very lightly at first, but in the night, she began to miscarry, leaving little doubt what the eventual outcome would be. She was about 5 weeks along. We've cried a little, been down a little, and certainly suffered a real sense of loss.
Carrie and I have been blessed now with four children, two that we were blessed to have born healthy and without any complications, and two that we have lost. One we lost almost 11 years ago, and one this week. While any joy we might have felt has been tempered by our present sadness, we rejoice in knowing that both of the children we have lost, are not lost to God. His Word is clear, He knows them in the womb, and they are His. Scripture says that "their angels", meaning those that guard the little ones, always see His face in heaven. We rejoice in knowing that the great reunion day, ever closer and ever more meaningful, holds at least two very special reunions in store for us. We can't wait!
Despite our sadness, we are so excited at what God is doing in our lives. Some of you know, many of you might not. We have been steadily working towards returning to active ministry. Since the terrible physical trials of last summer, God has brought me full circle. I was diagnosed with Lyme's disease, after all these years of suffering. The treatment began to have miraculous effects almost immediately! My body began to heal and repair itself. I started sleeping again. Strength began to come back, energy increased, life returned. Still, the seizures stood in the way of any serious attempt to return to active ministry. We worked, we prayed, we trusted, we waited. Eight weeks ago, after the prayers of so many of our friends and loved ones, after my Dad's church had a special time of prayer after one of their services, I was delivered completely from my seizures. I have been seizure free for almost 8 weeks! God has steadily, in His perfect timing, removed all the obstacles to serving Him again that have stood in our way.
As always, we view our lives through the lens of scripture. The Bible says, "the thief comes but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." Satan has attacked us, robbed us of over two years of ministry, taken life, both figuratively and literally, and sought to destroy our ability to minister again. Unfortunately for him, the scripture quoted above ends with this glorious promise, "I (Christ) am come that you might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." We might not have chosen this path, with all of its hardships and sorrows, but God in His infinite wisdom, grace, and love has seen us through it all! God truly is good, all the time!
As for returning to ministry, we have explored a number of different options these last few months. Many good opportunities have been available, we have prayed throughout that God would close the doors He wants closed, and open the doors He wants opened. He has certainly done that. Some doors have closed outright, which is good. Others, we have simply felt the Lord leading us not to pursue, only for Him to confirm later we were right. We are left with two final options, after many months of prayer and seeking. We feel certain we know which he would have us do, but we are committed to finishing the journey on the other opportunity, making certain we leave no stone unturned, as we seek God's will for our life.
Our opportunities are these:
1. There is a church near us, looking for a pastor. I am preaching there this Sunday, not in view of a call, but have already interviewed for the position. I had an incredible time with the committee! They seem to be the most genuine and wonderful people. This church is a fantastic opportunity, and I am certain a great place to serve God.
2. The other opportunity is a church plant or new church start. We have been asked, by so many people, time and time again these last few months to return to Texarkana. Either to pastor an existing church outright, which I have not felt the Lord leading me to do, or in some other capacity. We now have a small core group of people, who have committed to serve with us in planting a new church in Texarkana, if we feel led to pursue it. We have explored this possibility, the costs, the opportunities, and the logistics of it all.
So, those are the two final options we are left to pray through. Again, we think we know which of the opportunities the Lord would have us pursue, and have only to receive that final confirmation from God, before step out in faith towards one or the other.
No matter which ministry opportunity we pursue, our finances dictate my returning to secular work, outside our home based business, at least for a time. The downturn in the economy, has taken a real toll on our business, we are working hard, but only time will tell if the business can survive. I have been exploring working opportunities both in Denton and the surrounding areas, and Texarkana. We have worked very hard to keep both opportunities viable, while we sought the Lord's will in all of this.
So where does that leave us? I hope that we have thanked you all enough for your many prayers and your abundant love you all have shown for us. You are all so special to us. I don't know what to do, except to ask you for your prayers again.
Please pray for the following:
1. Pray we will know God's perfect will with certainty. That is all we desire, nothing more, nothing less. We don't care about man's opinion, man's desires, or man's objections, only God's whole, complete, and perfect will for our lives.
2. Pray that I will find a good job. We continue to have some income from Carrie keeping kids in our home, but it is a small amount. The economy has taken a toll on this as well. We have our business, though it is really slowed down to very little these last few weeks. Whatever ministry opportunity we find ourselves in, will provide a small portion of our income needs, but a new job is a must. I am, for the first time in so long, physically well enough to work consistently. I wouldn't take a job, if I wasn't certain I could honor God by working hard and doing a good job. I am able, ready, and willing to do just that! God has consistently met our needs. He has been so faithful, it hasn't always been easy, but it has been awesome to watch God meet our needs. Time and time again, often from such unexpected sources, God has shown Himself faithful. He is so good!
3. Pray that the logistical hurdles of either a new church plant, or adjusting to a new church will be met. If we find ourselves at the church near here, the new job, commuting and all, will have to fit the church and her ministry needs. If we pursue the new church in Texarkana, we will have to have a job, a place to live, a place for the new church to meet, and a solution to the home we own here in Denton to be found. It either must be sold, which will be very hard in this economy, or rented, which holds its own obstacles with us living so far away. Lots to pray about here!
4. Pray that we will continue to experience God working in our lives as He has been! Awesome is the only thing I can say to describe what God has been doing. We have seen His hand so often lately. Words fail me here. I just know, I don't want to ever leave this place, that place of knowing and seeing the presence of God, day in and day out. There is simply no other place I want to be, than the center of His will, in obedience and a daily walk with Him.
5. Pray for Carrie especially, and for the rest of us too. This miscarriage has been hard, in many ways. It has been hard on all of us, but especially her. The first miscarriage she experienced was one of the most traumatic and life changing things she has ever experienced. This one has been a little easier, we are much older, have experienced much more life, and we hope, have a much stronger and more mature walk with God, but it is still hard. Even though it is an early miscarriage, that is our child. We would have chosen a different ending. We would have picked a different way. That said, we know God is sovereign, and has promised to work all things to our good. Please pray for just that.
One more thing, I know that some may look at the second option I shared, moving back to Texarkana and planting a new church, and wonder what the impact might be, or if it will effect our former church members, family, and friends, etc. I want to go on record, and assure everyone we know, our desire, if we return home is NOT to hurt Hickory Street or any other church. We desire and pray for nothing but the best for that special church. We pray God's blessings on its mission, its members, and her pastor. We have NO desire to influence any of her members, steal people away, or be anything but a blessing to her! We pray for this church everyday! We pray for Bro. Tim and his staff, her members, her work, her influence in the community, everything. We have no desire to detract from that. If God calls us to return to Texarkana and begin a new work, our only desire is to help start a new work there, a sister church, not a competitor. We want to be a place of peace, joy, worship, growth, and love. Any member from HSBC, any former members who have since joined other churches, any family member who is now a part of another church, no matter who you are, we wouldn't want to steal you away from where you are. We would want each of you to serve the Lord, where HE would have you serve, nothing more, nothing less. Any person, regardless of where they have previously served, would be encouraged to pray and make certain where the Lord wants them, BEFORE ever joining in a new work. I hope this addresses any fears or questions some might have.
Now, as for a long awaited update to the blog, here are some more pictures:
As you can tell from the title of this post, we are excited about something, while at the same time sad. I guess I need to explain. God has been really moving in our lives, showing us so many things, opening doors of opportunity for us, really showing us what He wants us to do in the coming days. We've been so excited, working hard to make it happen, trying to do all the things we need to follow through in obedience to His leading. In the middle of all this, we were hit with quite a surprise, Carrie found out this week that she was pregnant. No, we weren't exactly planning this, we knew it was possible, (see Samuel if you need explanation on that point!), but not expected. We were pretty sure she was pregnant, and it was later confirmed with a pregnancy test. The sad thing is the reality that she would not be able to carry this pregnancy to term. She began spotting this week, very lightly at first, but in the night, she began to miscarry, leaving little doubt what the eventual outcome would be. She was about 5 weeks along. We've cried a little, been down a little, and certainly suffered a real sense of loss.
Carrie and I have been blessed now with four children, two that we were blessed to have born healthy and without any complications, and two that we have lost. One we lost almost 11 years ago, and one this week. While any joy we might have felt has been tempered by our present sadness, we rejoice in knowing that both of the children we have lost, are not lost to God. His Word is clear, He knows them in the womb, and they are His. Scripture says that "their angels", meaning those that guard the little ones, always see His face in heaven. We rejoice in knowing that the great reunion day, ever closer and ever more meaningful, holds at least two very special reunions in store for us. We can't wait!
Despite our sadness, we are so excited at what God is doing in our lives. Some of you know, many of you might not. We have been steadily working towards returning to active ministry. Since the terrible physical trials of last summer, God has brought me full circle. I was diagnosed with Lyme's disease, after all these years of suffering. The treatment began to have miraculous effects almost immediately! My body began to heal and repair itself. I started sleeping again. Strength began to come back, energy increased, life returned. Still, the seizures stood in the way of any serious attempt to return to active ministry. We worked, we prayed, we trusted, we waited. Eight weeks ago, after the prayers of so many of our friends and loved ones, after my Dad's church had a special time of prayer after one of their services, I was delivered completely from my seizures. I have been seizure free for almost 8 weeks! God has steadily, in His perfect timing, removed all the obstacles to serving Him again that have stood in our way.
As always, we view our lives through the lens of scripture. The Bible says, "the thief comes but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." Satan has attacked us, robbed us of over two years of ministry, taken life, both figuratively and literally, and sought to destroy our ability to minister again. Unfortunately for him, the scripture quoted above ends with this glorious promise, "I (Christ) am come that you might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." We might not have chosen this path, with all of its hardships and sorrows, but God in His infinite wisdom, grace, and love has seen us through it all! God truly is good, all the time!
As for returning to ministry, we have explored a number of different options these last few months. Many good opportunities have been available, we have prayed throughout that God would close the doors He wants closed, and open the doors He wants opened. He has certainly done that. Some doors have closed outright, which is good. Others, we have simply felt the Lord leading us not to pursue, only for Him to confirm later we were right. We are left with two final options, after many months of prayer and seeking. We feel certain we know which he would have us do, but we are committed to finishing the journey on the other opportunity, making certain we leave no stone unturned, as we seek God's will for our life.
Our opportunities are these:
1. There is a church near us, looking for a pastor. I am preaching there this Sunday, not in view of a call, but have already interviewed for the position. I had an incredible time with the committee! They seem to be the most genuine and wonderful people. This church is a fantastic opportunity, and I am certain a great place to serve God.
2. The other opportunity is a church plant or new church start. We have been asked, by so many people, time and time again these last few months to return to Texarkana. Either to pastor an existing church outright, which I have not felt the Lord leading me to do, or in some other capacity. We now have a small core group of people, who have committed to serve with us in planting a new church in Texarkana, if we feel led to pursue it. We have explored this possibility, the costs, the opportunities, and the logistics of it all.
So, those are the two final options we are left to pray through. Again, we think we know which of the opportunities the Lord would have us pursue, and have only to receive that final confirmation from God, before step out in faith towards one or the other.
No matter which ministry opportunity we pursue, our finances dictate my returning to secular work, outside our home based business, at least for a time. The downturn in the economy, has taken a real toll on our business, we are working hard, but only time will tell if the business can survive. I have been exploring working opportunities both in Denton and the surrounding areas, and Texarkana. We have worked very hard to keep both opportunities viable, while we sought the Lord's will in all of this.
So where does that leave us? I hope that we have thanked you all enough for your many prayers and your abundant love you all have shown for us. You are all so special to us. I don't know what to do, except to ask you for your prayers again.
Please pray for the following:
1. Pray we will know God's perfect will with certainty. That is all we desire, nothing more, nothing less. We don't care about man's opinion, man's desires, or man's objections, only God's whole, complete, and perfect will for our lives.
2. Pray that I will find a good job. We continue to have some income from Carrie keeping kids in our home, but it is a small amount. The economy has taken a toll on this as well. We have our business, though it is really slowed down to very little these last few weeks. Whatever ministry opportunity we find ourselves in, will provide a small portion of our income needs, but a new job is a must. I am, for the first time in so long, physically well enough to work consistently. I wouldn't take a job, if I wasn't certain I could honor God by working hard and doing a good job. I am able, ready, and willing to do just that! God has consistently met our needs. He has been so faithful, it hasn't always been easy, but it has been awesome to watch God meet our needs. Time and time again, often from such unexpected sources, God has shown Himself faithful. He is so good!
3. Pray that the logistical hurdles of either a new church plant, or adjusting to a new church will be met. If we find ourselves at the church near here, the new job, commuting and all, will have to fit the church and her ministry needs. If we pursue the new church in Texarkana, we will have to have a job, a place to live, a place for the new church to meet, and a solution to the home we own here in Denton to be found. It either must be sold, which will be very hard in this economy, or rented, which holds its own obstacles with us living so far away. Lots to pray about here!
4. Pray that we will continue to experience God working in our lives as He has been! Awesome is the only thing I can say to describe what God has been doing. We have seen His hand so often lately. Words fail me here. I just know, I don't want to ever leave this place, that place of knowing and seeing the presence of God, day in and day out. There is simply no other place I want to be, than the center of His will, in obedience and a daily walk with Him.
5. Pray for Carrie especially, and for the rest of us too. This miscarriage has been hard, in many ways. It has been hard on all of us, but especially her. The first miscarriage she experienced was one of the most traumatic and life changing things she has ever experienced. This one has been a little easier, we are much older, have experienced much more life, and we hope, have a much stronger and more mature walk with God, but it is still hard. Even though it is an early miscarriage, that is our child. We would have chosen a different ending. We would have picked a different way. That said, we know God is sovereign, and has promised to work all things to our good. Please pray for just that.
One more thing, I know that some may look at the second option I shared, moving back to Texarkana and planting a new church, and wonder what the impact might be, or if it will effect our former church members, family, and friends, etc. I want to go on record, and assure everyone we know, our desire, if we return home is NOT to hurt Hickory Street or any other church. We desire and pray for nothing but the best for that special church. We pray God's blessings on its mission, its members, and her pastor. We have NO desire to influence any of her members, steal people away, or be anything but a blessing to her! We pray for this church everyday! We pray for Bro. Tim and his staff, her members, her work, her influence in the community, everything. We have no desire to detract from that. If God calls us to return to Texarkana and begin a new work, our only desire is to help start a new work there, a sister church, not a competitor. We want to be a place of peace, joy, worship, growth, and love. Any member from HSBC, any former members who have since joined other churches, any family member who is now a part of another church, no matter who you are, we wouldn't want to steal you away from where you are. We would want each of you to serve the Lord, where HE would have you serve, nothing more, nothing less. Any person, regardless of where they have previously served, would be encouraged to pray and make certain where the Lord wants them, BEFORE ever joining in a new work. I hope this addresses any fears or questions some might have.
We love you! Thank you for your prayers!
Micah
Now, as for a long awaited update to the blog, here are some more pictures:
Our boys, very interested in something...?? :-)
Look Dad, I've made a soft place for me to land when I jump!!!(Samuel, having emptied his bed, AGAIN! We have no idea why he does this, but he does it ALL the time!!!) :-)
What? I'm not doing nuffin?
Oh yeah, I'm 14!!!!!!!
OK Pop, don't you think this sink is a LITTLE small for my posterior??(Trying to find an easier way to bath little britches in our hotel,
on a recent trip home to Texarkana.)
Mommy, take my fish, there isn't room for both of us in here!
I just couldn't fight that sleepy monster ANY more!
Mommy I surely love you, but couldn't we get some hair gel or something?Have you seen my hair?????
1 comment:
Hey Just a note to say we will be praying for you all in both circumstances.....we too lost a baby many years ago and we can relate. Also, I'm excited about your healing and God's leadership in your life. We would WELCOME you back to Texarkana if God so leads - as a sister church seeking to reach souls for the kingdom work. YOU GOT MY PRAYERS and if you need anything let me know. James
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