Faith

Faith! Short word, full of big meaning. God has me in a study of faith. He is teaching me about faith all across my life and He isn’t letting up!

Faith – “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we cannot see” Heb 11:1

“Without faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God.” Hebrews 11:6

I’ve heard these verses many times, read them, studied them. It’s real now, more real than ever before!
Many of you have called our move to Colorado a “leap of faith”. Maybe it’s true. There was definitely an element of trusting in what we couldn’t yet see, literally. But the testing of faith is more real now than then, than ever! God is asking me if I have faith that He can save my neighbors and bring life change, heal deep wounds, soften hearts, break habits, mend brokenness. Each day, as we engage neighbors in different places in the neighborhood, the lostness is SO evident, the brokenness heart-breaking. It would be so easy to dwell on how huge the need for God is here, or even to dwell on how impossible it seems that this place we call home will be redeemed. But God is strengthening my faith! He is helping me believe, with certainty, in what I cannot see or even imagine! He is calling me out into deep water and I’m committed to keeping my eyes above the waves and focused on Him, that I may walk behind Him and rest in His promise that one day, EVERY knee shall bow and EVERY tongue confess that He is Lord! Oh, to envision and believe all of Lowry on their knees confessing Him as Lord together! Now unseen, very dim at the least…one day soon, TRUE!

1 Peter 1:9 says “the outcome of our faith is the salvation of our souls” and we know “it is by grace, through faith, we are saved”. Faith is contagious and I’m praying for an epidemic, in Lowry and beyond. The salvation of souls is the goal and I am confidently believing it is His will!

My favorite song right now…can’t hear it too many times! Take the next 10 minutes to watch the video and soak it in. Let’s rest in His embrace together, expecting big things!!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PLrQWVpoh7U

No Joke

Today has been bittersweet to us. We announced at our church the following:

For several years God has been shaping us to follow a call that I can no longer deny or resist. In Jeremiah 20:9, Jeremiah says, “There is a fire in my bones and I grow weary of holding it in.” Throughout the past few years God has refined our call by showing us that He has called us to plant a church in Denver, CO. In order to be prepared to plant this church, we have accepted a residency with Frontline Church Planting Group in Colorado Springs, CO that is part of Vanguard Church, a 15-year-old church that desires to plant churches that plant churches.

We will remain at Fairhaven until the fall of 2012 in full capacity, but will use the coming months to build prayer support, raise support, gather church partnerships and prepare for the transition to Colorado.

Please know that our family loves the people of Fairhaven all very dearly and pray that God will continue to do great things at this place called Fairhaven.