Needy People

“We really do need each other.” Those words were on the cover of a book that caught my eye many years ago. It's hard to believe, but that book is one that I didn’t buy! I’ve never forgotten the phrase because it captures one of the key thoughts of Christianity. We need each other.

Down through history there have been those who felt that they could “do it” on they’re own. It was (and is) kind of like Charlie Brown who said, “I love mankind – it’s people I can’t stand.” I’ll grant that people can isolate themselves from others for good reasons, at least with good intentions. However, doesn’t that violate one of the earliest of God’s pronouncements in scripture, “It’s not good for man to be alone?” We need each other.

We’ve been in Central Asia for only three months but we’ve learned some things about what we need. We’ve found that we don’t need all the things we thought we did just a few months ago. We’ve also learned that we really do need our brothers and sisters. We need those who are at home and support us through prayer. We need those around us here who encourage us, challenge us and correct us.

I was raised in a family where touch was not encouraged. Hugs and kisses were not something seen in our home. Love pats and gentle touches were reserved for the very youngest children and, at some point, they soon outgrew them. People weren’t intended to go through life independently. We weren’t designed to be Lone Rangers. (Even he had his “faithful companion, Tonto.”) Gentle touch, kind words, tender looks – all of these contribute to good communication and can contribute to the self-esteem of those around us.

Healthy living demands that we relate to one another in healthy ways that build interdependent relationships. We’ve all seen those who try to be independent and not have to rely on anyone else. We’ve also all seen those who are chronically dependent on others. They’ve never discovered their value as an individual, nor their ability to contribute to others. Interdependency allows us to “breathe” in our relationships. We give and receive on a regular basis allowing the group and the individuals to grow.

We attended the International Christian Fellowship last Sunday. (We don’t attend there every week since we feel it’s important to show support for the national church as well.) During the singing a brother from Africa began rhythmic clapping. I have to admit, it caught me by surprise. I’m used to people clapping during singing, either on the beat or on the off-beat. I can’t do it well but I’m used to it. This was different. At first it was mildly distracting. As time went on I found it more than just enjoyable. I found it a great contribution to the music of the morning. His expression of joy and praise increased my joy and, I believe, my ability to praise.

Watching God put people together in different ways is interesting. If we believe that He knows what He’s doing, and we should, then He has us together for a reason. We each have something to contribute and something to gain. When we can actually find this a reality in our lives we will discover a new level of relationship with the Body of Christ.

To paraphrase Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, “We really do need each other – every one.”

"Lost and Found"

Music is a wonderful gift. I greatly admire those who can put words together and combine them with music to communicate a message. This afternoon we've been able to listen to some music while we've been catching up on some of the "office work" that is important, but often neglected. We've been listening to a Brian Doerksen album and discovered a song entitled "Lost and Found." I enjoy the style, but really got caught by some of the words:

"Jesus, don't you keep me from that storm.
I want to walk that sacred ground.
For you are Master of it all,
And I am but a lost and found."

I'm not sure if that's a prayer that I'm ready to pray. Over the years I've heard, as have most of you who read this, of the "dark night of the soul," or the "fellowship of sharing in his suffering." There is a "school of suffering" that believers have endured throughout the generations. How often have we prayed to avoid the trials, to be delivered from difficult situations, or the "times that try the hearts of men?" How many times have we prayed ourselves right out of perhaps the most significant discoveries of our lives when we've asked for deliverance from difficulties, trials or tribulations rather than allowing God to finish the work He's doing?

No, I don't think we ought to look for trouble or trials. But, I have come to believe that it is part of God's plan to use those very things for building up our souls and our character. There are things learned through the storm that are never learned any other way. There is a sacredness that accompanies the period of trial believers experience. That indicates that we don't walk through that period alone. He is with us. It is His presence that makes it sacred.

Jerry Sitser of Whitworth College wrote a book, A Grace Disguised, about his family's tragedy that claimed the lives of his mother, wife and daughter. He described the grief coming as the darkness of night from the East. He went on to picture the sun setting in the West and longing to run to the light – darkness was coming. Yet, as we all know, we can't catch the sun. The quickest way to the sun is through the darkness to the dawn.

I'm not anxious to enter a storm, nor am I averse to avoiding one. (I'm a little skeptical of those who look for trouble.) When the Father determines that it's time for a storm in my life I have to trust Him. If I believe the third line, "You are Master of it all," then I can trust Him when He allows me to enter the storm. He is the One who will keep me in it – and through it. Amen.

A God of Wonders

The first time I really remember singing "God of Wonders" was at a Promise Keepers event in Portland. The worship band had taken us through a number of songs and introduced this "new" song - new to me. I remember that as the band tried to end the song and move to the next, the audience took over with the chorus and the words "God of wonders beyond our galaxy, You are holy, holy" kept reverberating from one side of the arena to the other. What a special time of worship that was. This went on for some time and there was such a presence of the Lord - and his pleasure - it made me think of the day to come when people of all nations will gather around the throne singing the praises of the One who is worthy.

We've had the opportunity for the second Sunday in a row to worship at an International Fellowship in our new city. I understand that on any given Sunday there will be more than twenty different nationalities worshipping together. Both weeks is has been a wonderful rainbow, or as a brother from Venezuela said, a beautiful flower garden, of God's children. We sing a few (couple?) songs that I've found familiar. ("No, we didn't sing God of Wonders.") Many more were sung that I've never heard, in fact, many of them have been written by the song leader.

I've been struck by the diversity in God's kingdom. There are people of every hue. There are more languages than I can count. We've seen brothers and sisters involved in many different, and creative, lines of service for the kingdom. Just today we met a young woman from Australia working in a BAM program (Business As Mission). When we allow God to be the leader (conductor?) of his great symphony, and follow his direction, the world will be filled with the glorious music of the his kingdom.

Worship has become very special. Far from being a service with certain obligatory components, worship is a way of living where one continually walks in wonder that the "God of all creation" has chosen to relate to us in love and compassion. That he would call us friends and, even more, sons or daughters should leave us speechless. Yes, we see some of his glory revealed through nature (and it is spectacular here). How much more can we see his glory revealed, along with his character, through the giving of his Son on the cross to make this relationship possible!

Glory and honor, praise adoration now and forevermore be Thine.

Leaving vs. Arriving

I was just thinking of the process we're going through of preparing to leave Colbert after all these years. A song from the dim, distant past by Mark Lindsey came to mind. I'm not sure of the title but the first line is, "I'm leavin' on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again." That's what we'll be doing in just a few days. We leave Spokane in about ten days and leave for Asia just about a week after that. What used to be months became weeks and now has become days.

Tonight my grandson told us that he wishes we weren't leaving. I've known that statement might come, but I'd put it out of my mind. There have been some other folk who have mentioned the same sentiment - they hate to see us leave the church. We're deep into the process of leaving. We've said good-byes to some and will have our closing service this coming Sunday. As we planned the music together it was a challenge to limit the songs we chose. We could have filled up the service with messages through the songs. There is so much to say and so little time to say it. We want to get the good-byes said, but we also have a message to convey - it's not about us. It's about Jesus. He is all important and if you haven't received him there is no higher priority than meeting him.

I wrote that we're deep into leaving. Part of the struggle is that "arriving" won't occur for some time. When it comes we'll be into the deep end in the blink of an eye. As leaving is full of good-byes, so arriving will be full of hellos. We've met many of the people we'll work with. We've seen the facilities we'll work and live in. I think that the arriving part will be fun even though it will be stressful. Leaving? That will be something else.

There have been so many changes in our world since the old days when missionaries left for the field and everyone knew they may never return. Travel was slow and dangerous. These days travel is rapid and relatively safe. There are uncertainties in various parts of the world, but those are the exception - not the rule. Good judgement and careful planning go a long way in producing a safe and pleasant trip. (Has it ever been otherwise?) We'll (hopefully) have the convenience of the Internet to maintain contact with family and friends. We might be able to use a telephone or Skype and even see the person we're talking to. We won't be cut off from those close to us. PTL.

I've been told many times (at least three times just today) that people are in awe of what we're doing. (Some actually add, "at your age.") I don't understand those comments. We're just doing what we've said anyone ought to do: if God calls, do what he says. That's what Mary, Jesus' mother told the servant at the wedding Jesus attended. They were short on the wine for the party and Mary told the servant, "Do whatever he tells you." There has never been better advise given by a mother. There is no better advice period!

For whatever reason God has chosen to use us in Central Asia. In my limited understanding there are many others much, much more qualified to take on this responsibility. We're clear, however, that He has chosen us. We're humbled and challenged. Our decision is just the natural outgrowth of all the things we've taught over these many years. Either we believe them and put them into practice or we don't. It wasn't our goal, but if we're a model of obedience and others take some step of "venturing" out for God, that would be great.

Landing on Our Feet

I've never researched how the phrase "landing on one's feet" came about. However, we've had many cats over the years and I'm going to jump to the conclusion that they have something to do with the origins of it. Hearing how it's normally used seems to indicate that someone "landed" in a good situation either through their own actions, someone other person's actions, or just plain luck.

When Suzanne and I arrived in Colbert twentysix years ago we certainly landed on our feet. We understand that the Superintendent assigned us to the church and that we didn't have anything to do with the decision. We know, however, that it wasn't just the Superintendent's choice, nor was it luck. God had everything to do with getting us to a place where we discovered "congregational love." It has been more than a privilege to serve here. It's been an honor. They put up with an impetuous young pastor and allowed him to, however raggedly, set the sails. To follow that analogy, it hasn't always been smooth sailing, but it has been wonderful working with such a group of Christians.

I have a new friend in a different denomination who pastored a church in another part of the country. He was just informed this week that they are "releasing him" (most people understand that to be fired). It hasn't been an easy tenure. He's been there several years and the situation can only be described as unfortunate. There may be other words that fit as well, but there is a great deal of hurt involved. Obviously, I don't know the whole story and I don't want to know more. The only point I'm trying to make is that Colbert is a special place. The people are special and they long to do the right thing. It's not only that they're concerned with people's feelings (there are lots of therapeutic groups that do that) they want to do what is best for all concerned. They are concerned about God's will, but, God cares about people. It is possible to do the "right thing" in the wrong way. We can also do the right thing with the wrong attitude. Colbert has been concerned with right things and right ways. God will bless this bunch!

We will only be here for another month. We're experiencing a lot of "lasts" these days. We have our last Council meeting tonight. We've been invited to people's homes for a "last supper" before we leave. We're fast approaching our last campout. We'll leave with a lot of dreams unfulfilled. However, the congregation has a lot of potentials yet to be realized. There are some disappointments - but there are also a lot of reasons for optimism. Colbert is moving to a new chapter in its history. It's going to be a good chapter.

Discovering Trust

This past Sunday we presented our ministry plans to the congregation. Suzanne used Psalm 121 to share a little about trusting God for his leading. "I look to the hills. Where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."

It has been fascinating to watch how God has been leading us over these months. There has been a sense of calmness in our spirits as we have moved closer to the date of our transition out of pastoral ministry and into the leadership of a school. There have been, and still are, significant issues that confront us. We still have to raise a significant amount of funds to make the trip possible (at least to get home), there are significant legal issues the school is facing in regards to a license to operate and what the government will do, and there are significant board membership and staff changes that have to sort themselves out. (Actually, I'm trusting that the Lord will sort them out.) In the midst of it all, we still know that He's in control.

For many years I've had the privilege of helping missionaries raise funds. I have found it enjoyable to encourage people to give sacrificially. It's really different when it's Suzanne and I that have to raise the funds and talk to people. We're still trusting.

Still trusting - that is a good phrase. It means that we have trusted, are trusting and intend to keep on trusting. That's a good word to me.

Obstructions or Opportunities?

The closer we get to the departure date for Asia the more things I realize that we need to do. Also, I find more and more people who are in the middle of significant transitions in their lives. Transition is never easy but it does give us a chance to see God at work.

In our case, we've received word that the government of the country we're heading for is in the process of creating some new laws, or changes to older laws, that will severely restrict the freedom of ministry. We don't know at this point whether there will be any impact on our plans to move this summer to work in the school. All we can do is pray with others that God will keep the doors open for ministry (not just ours) in the country. After that, we continue to prepare to leave.

I've been impressed these past days with how precious the preaching opportunities are. As we count down I realize that I'm almost in single digits for the number of Sundays I have to open the Word of God for the people. I'm also struck anew by the significance of what it is to "speak for God" to his people.

Catching Up

It's been almost two months since I posted. Time has gone quickly. Where we once had over six months until we move to Asia we're now down to four. I don't know if we'll get everything done that needs to be done.

Suzanne and I just returned from a pastor's retreat in Texas. It's provided through Pastors Retreat Network. What a gift! It's provided free for pastors - you just have to get yourself there. I was concerned whether we could afford the time away with the move coming so soon. I decided that we really needed some time to "come up for air" after all the stuff that's been going on. Much of it has been good. It has just been busy.

The program we studied was the Sabbath Rest. It was a great option for us as we tried to rest, reflect and be restored for the days ahead. We had a great time with the other four couples. On our last night we had a prayer time that really ministered to me. I hope that others had some benefit as well.

There were two things that stood out to me from the retreat. I'm not through processing the stuff, but the first was that Sabbath isn't primarily about resting. It's about getting close to God to remember that He's the one who sanctifies and liberates. Both of these thoughts come from the injunction to remember the Sabbath in Exodus and Deuteronomy. The "rest" is perhaps more accurately "cease" from the regular stuff to devote ourselves to knowing God better.

The second thing that I've brought away is the importance of "markers". I got into a book that spoke about images in the New Testament that can/should remind us of discipleship. ("The Discipline of Surrender".) I think that will help me in my thought life and general reflecting upon God. If I can take some common images and turn them into markers of discipleship I'll have even more reminders of God's plan for my life. Even more importantly, if I can do that, I'll have more reminders of God's great nature.

Perspectives

What you see depends on where you stand.

When my daughter was in grade school we took her to Riverfront Park to see President Bush (the first) and Speaker of the House, Tom Foley. It was a rare thing for the two of them, from different political parties, to have a joint event. We thought it would be a good opportunity for her to see the two of them even if she later wouldn't remember the event. There was quite a crowd in the park and though we had a good spot to view the ceremony, my daughter was small enough that she wouldn't see any of it. Giving little thought to those behind us, I hoisted her onto my shoulders so that she could see more than the legs of the people in front of us.

Life is like that. Sometimes we need some help to see what is right in front of us. We don't have the height to see beyond the legs of those in front of us. It's easy to lose our focus, or our grasp of the goal, if we can't see past the close stuff.

The last few weeks since our decision to accept the opportunity to minister in Central Asia have been full of anticipation. We can think of a myriad of things that need to be done. Some of them can be done early and gotten out of the way. There are others that need to wait. We need some wisdom to discern the difference.

In the mean time it's important to keep our eye on the goal - we're to follow God's leading step by step to serve him where he leads. At this time, it's apparently Central Asia. Later is in HIS hands.

Worshipping the King

Suzanne and I had dinner last night with a friend whose mother attends the church. We has a far ranging discussion about our move to Kazakhstan, church and his mother's up-coming death.

His mother is a believer who came to Christ as an adult. She has seen a large number of family come to know Christ's forgiveness through her witness and prayers. We're looking forward to her "graduation party".

We spent quite a bit of time talking about church in general and reaching multiple generations. One indicator of a healthy church is intergenerational activities. We agreed that there are a few keys though this certainly isn't a comprehensive list:

• Authentic worship - the leaders have to be worshippers first and not "cheer leaders" of the service. They have to be in awe of the One Who is Worthy and not just following the schedule of worship.
• Quality - this is not to say that every aspect has to be professional grade, but that the Lord deserves our best. Shoddy effort or product won't enhance worship.
• Right Focus - Worship is about Christ. It's about who God is and what he desires of us. It's an opportunity to lay our lives before him in surrender and adoration. Worship is about Him - not about us. True worship may not make me feel anything - though I hope it does. True worship is when I've declared the goodness of God and surrendered to his purposes. It's not whether I've sung my favorite song, had a stirring conversation with a friend or heard a sermon that I agree with. True worship is about Him.

There are a lot of other things that can be said about worship. Suffice it to say that it is perhaps the highest privilege a believer has. That the Great God of the universe would allow me into his presence for anything - would take any notice of me - is an astounding thing. That he wants to relate to me, spend time with me, that he invites me into his presence is a wonder I'll never understand.

Spiritual Alarm Clocks

Minstry is a funny thing. There are times when you just go through the day, or the week, or the month, and do the normal stuff. It can be easy to believe that everything is mundane, that everything that's done is just routine. But there can come a moment or a comment that works like an alarm clock in the morning. It's as though we're suddenly awake and aware that the sun is up and people are up and about. The moment that comes, or the comment that is made, causes us to lift our eyes and look around us, noticing anew that the God of Wonders is alive and active in our life.

I think that people who find themselves slogging through their spiritual life in depresssion, discouragement, and even despair, have forgotten to listen to the "spiritual alarm clocks" that alert us to the work of our Sovereign King.


Spiritual alarm clocks - that's an interesting thought. Lord, don't let my ears grow deaf to listening as your Spirit endeavors to awaken me to your wondrous activity.

Transitions

There are times when it seems that nothing has changed. There are other times when it seems that everything has changed and no one else notices. It's kind of like knowing that you have a bandage on your forehead and no one comments on it. You know the bandage is there but, why doesn't anyone else notice? Obviously, others can't see inside our minds or thoughts and know that decisions have been made - even decisions that will profoundly affect the future.

I found out last Sunday that some of the folk at church who have the responsibility to deal with pastoral issues read the blog and were surprised by my comment that I thought there should be a change of pastors. I still feel that way. I think it's best for the church - forgetting the implications for Suzanne and me. It has nothing to do with being unhappy or anything else. We feel called to go to Asia as clearly as anything else we've felt before. I trust the process our Conference has for pastoral assignments. I believe the committee found God's direction in this, even though the conclusion isn't what many expected.

One of the fascinating things about how God works: we can clearly sense that God has been leading, pray faithfully and expectantly and God sometimes seems to turn things on their head. When we prayed with the committee on Thursday I felt God was taking us one particular direction. I think the committee did as well. After they read the last post they were confused and began to pray more. (It might be that I said something in writing that I wasn't able to communicate verbally.) They came to a unanimous decision to release us and that feels right. I have to admit that hearing the words kind of took my breath away, but it still felt right.

So, now we are on track to leave Colbert for Asia this Summer. All kinds of thoughts are going through our heads. We haven't moved in over 25 years. We will have to relearn how to pack, how to select "keepers" and "tossers" and things to sell. Where will we put our stuff while we're in Asia? What will we do about mail? Subscriptions? There are so many things to learn we're a little befuddled.

In seven months we're due to be on assignment in a new country. WOW! I've been "around the block" enough to know that period seems like a long time but isn't. I've already been asked about how much funding we'll have to raise for this year. I don't have a clue! When will we have a chance to do fundraising and still go on with our work at Colbert? How do we get ready to go and still do the rest of the things that need to be done in the church or in school without short-changing the people who pay our salaries?

Some of the things that I find myself thinking about is, "How do I want to leave things?" I've asked people to pray that I will "finish strong." I don't want to wimp out and quit. There are a number of things I'd like to see happen before we leave. There are people who've "flirted" with Jesus without "selling out" for him. I'd like to see those people get their act together and move ahead. There are others who've never made any pretense of faith. It would be more than exciting to see one (some?) of them make a decision for Christ. Well, let's just say that there have been a lot of things on hold that it would be great to see move forward in the next few months.

I have to admit, there is a sense of excitement about the move we're making. One of my friends talks about how impressed he is that we're willing to leave our assignment after so long and go so far. It's an adventure. I've told people for years to follow Christ. I've told them to walk by faith. I've challenged them to risk for God and watch him work. I guess it's my turn. If I would turn back at this point it I would be turning my back on the last 30 years of teachings. Either I believe it - Him - or I don't.

Several weeks ago I came across an item I wrote for the church newsletter a long time ago. It was called "Wing Walking With Jesus." I don't know how many of the "younger generations" ever saw the old dare-devils walking on the wings of airplanes as they soared above the amazed crowds. In some cases the dare-devils (Nuts?) were strapped in place, but not always. I don't remember the point I was trying to make with the article, but I feel that's what we're doing now.
We're trying to keep up with what the Lord is doing and where he's going. There are forces that are trying to knock us off our stance, but, by God's grace, we'll stay with Him.

I suppose I've used this post to deal with some "emotional baggage" rather than just muse. O well, it's my blog.

New to blogging

I've heard about blogging for a long time. I had looked at a few blogs in various areas but hadn't thought about creating one until recently. While speaking with a friend about doing some extra teaching, he mentioned I could do some on a blog. I don't know if I'll do that but I think I'll try to use this for keeping folk up to date on what's happening with our ministry as we go to Kazakhstan this summer. I think that I'll also use it to just share thoughts about ministry in general.

Throughout my time working in churches - over 30 years - most of the emphasis and involvement has been in the local church. We've always had an interest in international missions and thought at one time that God might be calling us to serve overseas. More recently, the last three years, Suzanne and I have had the privilege of visiting a number of countries: Brazil, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and other parts of East Asia. We've mostly visited friends who are serving in those countries, but we've also had the chance to do some teaching and prayer ministry. We trust that the little we've done has had some positive impact for God's purposes. We've certainly been blessed by the workers and the national brothers and sisters. What a privilge - honor - to get to know them. They have been such a blessing! While we've traveled we've done some of the "touristy" stuff and taken a lot of pictures. The things that we'll remember most is the people we've met and the blessing they've been.

Last May, while I was with a prayer team in Asia, we were asked to share what God was saying to us. That's never a "safe" question and it deserved a thoughtful answer. As I pondered the question I was impressed with one word/thought over and over - change/transition. I was tempted to follow that thought to see where it would take me. I also thought that, knowing me, I could force a number of possibilities into that word. So, I decided to be patient (big struggle) and let the Lord reveal what he wanted at his own pace.

I hadn't been home for more than a few weeks when another "word" came. It's not easy to describe or explain, but an opportunity came that had a certain feel about it that it was something special. I was asked to mentor to some nationals involved in church planting.

In July I had been asked to preach during our Conference's annual meetings. I was asked to speak about discipleship, specifically "A Disciple's Test". The challenge at the end of the message was with the song Today and to follow Christ where he leads. We had a 20 minute prayer time following the message and were to spend it in silence listening for what God might say to us. I did that in good faith. Listening is not easy for me. Too many extraneous thoughts run through my mind. I spent the first 19 minutes trying to listen to God's voice and ignoring my own thoughts. In the last minute God spoke - "Follow Me". "Ok, Lord. Where? How?" Those questions went unanswered.

In August we had our church campout with a guest speaker. One night he spoke about following Christ and we had a great time of prayer and commitment. Several asked for prayer and we spent a good amount of time around the campfire lifting both prayers and praises. During the night I was awakened with a strong impression on the word "connections". As I walked and talked with Suzanne the next day it was clear that "connections" had something to do with "change", mentoring and "follow me".

Within the invitation to mentor was an opportunity to join a team going to Asia in November to visit the countries where mentoring would take place and to investigate other future ministry opportunities. We didn't have the resources for me to make the trip. I had vacation time from the church I could use, but we didn't have the funds. As time went on I needed to make a decision about going. I really struggled with this. The trip made sense and I felt it would be a great initiation into the area and the ministries. I couldn't say I felt that God didn't want me to go, but I didn't feel free to say "yes" without funding in hand. The impression that was so pronounced over the month of September was the tension between feeling I should go but not being able to say yes.

In October I was asked if I could go if the resources were provided. Yes, I could do that. The money was made available and we began to make plans for the trip. But there was something else that jumped into the picture. I was asked, out of the blue seemingly, to pray about going to Aisaf or a year. First of all, the person who asked me to pray was my Superintendent. We had just come off of a very successful centennial celebration at church which the Supt. had participated in. I thought his request was funny. I couldn't imagine myself going to Asia or serving as "President" of a seminary. Well, their seminary is equivalent to our Bible school and a president is more of a ministry head than president.

November involved the trip to Asia with the team. The leader of the team - Dave - was the one who asked the Supt. to pray about someone for the seminary. We spent a great deal of time discussing the role and how I might fit into that position. I also spoke with Folmer, a friend with us, a great deal. It was clear to me that God had something in store for me but I wasn't clear about what that would be. I returned from the trip pretty convinced that Asia wasn't in our future but a greater involvement in international missions was.

December came and what I thought was a closed door for Asia opened when I spoke with the Supt. He indicated that the closed door wasn't closed - in fact it was wide open. I also discovered as I thought about it that I was looking for reasons to say "no" to the opportunity. Suzanne had been ready from day one to go. The "brake" on this was me. Was I resisting what God wanted to do? I realized that I would have to do more investigation and scheduled a meeting with the Supt. and with Dave together.

To make the story move ahead, Suzanne and I spent three more weeks talking, praying and struggling with the question. Should we go? What about Colbert? We decided that we had to step out and go and trust that God already had an answer for the church.

So, here we are. We're preparing to go to Asia for a year and work in the seminary. We don't know what the church will choose. Will they feel as I do that it's time for a change of pastors at Colbert? Will they want Suzanne and me back for future ministry after a sabbatical? We will know more tomorrow.

In the meantime we wonder what it will be like. I come back to God's promise in Jeremiah 29:11. God has plans for us that will be good for us - and good for the church.

The Start

We trust that this will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship with blogging. We're hoping, at least I'm hoping, that this will be a place that we can communicate what God is doing in and around us.

We are in the process of transition in our lives and ministry. We've been at Colbert Chapel for 26 years. It's clear that God has been directing us in a new direction for some time. We're excited about the opportunities ahead, and at the same time apprehensive about just what the changes will bring.

As we look ahead to ministering in Central Asia we're studying and trying to discover what our role will be. We hope that we'll communicate some of the personal challenges we face and the discoveries we accumulate. We're also going to learn what this blogging thing is all about.