Part of the Process

The other day I was walking through a Christian bookstore when this thought came to my mind.  “Among the sea of theology and Christian thought my thoughts would be contained in the foam of one small wave.  And the collection of all thought pales in comparison to all that God knows and the sins He has forgotten.”

Part of this spiritual journey toward church planting has been reading.  I have a goal of 50 books this year, about a book per week.  God has helped me to see my need for knowledge about Him and His creation, man, and what the relationship between the two looks like.  Knowing that I need the information, knowledge, wisdom, and advice of men who have gone before me, I have jumped in head first into books of many types from many sources.  Reading has been a great check on my pride.  The more I read the more I see I have such a limited understanding of all things, especially God.  But He has given men like C.S. Lewis, Mark Driscoll, J.I. Packer, Francis Chan, Phillip Yancey, David Platt, and Norman Giesler to challenge me and to act as my teachers.  I have gleaned much from the pages I have read over the last 3 years.  But all this knowledge has a source and that is God. If I neglected knowing God for knowledge about God from others I would be robbing myself.

So for the past 3 years, my staple in reading has been the Bible.  It is the standard to which all others things are held up, examined or filtered.  God has given me an amazing hunger for the Word over the past 3 years.  I read it daily, am working on hiding it in my heart, and seek to live it out.  I have a friend who once challenged me to read the Bible as much as I read everything else.  It has been refreshing and eyeopening to me to see the plan of God unfold and radically change humanity from Genesis to Revelation from Adam to Jesus from the Old Testament Prophets to the New Testament Apostles.

I know God is using His Word and the words of men to shape me, refine me, and lead me into the next phase of life, while still living in the present.  These, among others, are a part of the process God has been leading me through.

Coming together…

Summer is approaching and things are coming together. God is already blessing our obedience to Him and confirming His call to church planting. We have been able to see pictures of the home we will rent for our year in Colorado Springs, and it meets our needs very well. We have worked hard on some small home improvements to prepare our current home for sale. God has generously blessed us with manpower and expertise from family and friends to make these projects possible. We had a very successful 2-day yard sale, which allowed us to update our kitchen appliances and save toward moving expenses. Our school year and tball season are coming to an end, giving us some family time and summer fun to look forward to!
While I am thankful to see God’s plan coming to be, He has been gently nudging me during my quiet time, reminding me that we are not finished with His work in Demopolis. Though we are confident our home will sell before we move and excited about our journey to church planting, we are committed to our current community and church family 100% and I don’t want to miss an opportunity to make the Gospel known or to disciple Christians where we are. I know there will still be personal spiritual growth and Great Commission opportunities this summer. To God be the Glory as He works in Alabama and Colorado simultaneously (and the rest of the world, of course). He promises to “work things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes” and it is true! Everything is coming together!