If you missed the previous q&a post answering the question: where are you going? CLICK HERE.
:::
Answer?
Simple.
Someone else already is.
{one other intern from our seminary has been already approved to begin there this summer.}
{one other intern from our seminary has been already approved to begin there this summer.}
But that's not the real reason.
{although valid.}
{although valid.}
We LOVE our church. We have been so blessed to find such a wonderful church family. The Lord was very clear in His direction 3 years ago during our search for a place to serve.
When we got to NEPA, our hearts were broken and bruised. We had just endured such a crazy spiritual battle and it left our heads spinning. We were depleted spiritually and emotionally. We were weak from trying to be strong for so long. Our minds were torn. We had worked so hard for so long to make the right choices and behave in a proper biblical fashion {when most days we weren't even sure what that meant...} And we were left marred and vulnerable and hypersensitive to certain issues.
But the Lord knows our innermost being. And He knew what we needed. Restoration. Wisdom. Teaching. Healing. And a safe place to fall.
Now? We have grown spiritually, by leaps and bounds. The Lord has used our current church to restore confidence in Him and in the people of God. It has nurtured us. And made us "whole" again. We now view this life with a bit more clarity.
Our church has become our home away from home. A place full of mentors and friends. Wise counsel. Warm arms to surround you when you feel alone. To pick you up. To walk beside. To help endure.
Like I said, we love our church.
But we desire to grow even more than we have. Our hearts tell us that it would happen best at a location other than where we are. We crave to know the ins and outs of church planting, from a realistic perspective. We desire to see various church procedures. And we want to learn from new minds and from different perspectives.
Would it be easy to just stay put?
Comfortable?
Yes. Absolutely.
But would it help get us toward the goal the Lord has so strongly burdened us with?
No.
And so, we will move on.
And as we did 3 years ago, we will trust in a God that knows what we need.
Prayer Requests:
- to find a church for our internship that will best meet our needs
- to find a church somewhere in New England
- to find a church that is growing {and not stagnant}
- to find a church burdened for church planting
- to find a church where we will fit in well
- to find a church for our internship very soon
"A ship is safe in the harbor but that is not what ships are built for." (Or something like that...) Our now former pastor used this quote in sermons a couple of times and in his letter to us letting us know he was leaving. He, too, has a heart for church planting.
ReplyDeletePraying for you.