A desire and passion to write has really sprung forth in me,
and I’m thankful for the opportunity to share in writing what has been going on
in our lives. It’s been over 2 months
since my last post, but I hope to write more frequently as the Lord places
things on my heart to share.
For the past few months Josh has been applying for one job
after the other. We came back from
Africa knowing that we did not want to come back to going through the motions
of life. The Lord made it very clear
that Josh was not to settle for just any job because He had the perfect plan
for him and our family. We released our
dreams to God and shared with Him our desires for our family. Our heart has been that Josh would get a job
where he can positively impact others and pour out God’s love openly and
freely. We have consistently prayed that
God would continue to close doors that He didn’t want us walking through. It’s so easy to try and force doors to open,
and sometimes we walk through doors that appear to be good but get us a little
off track. However, God has given us a
vision for our lives and we are excited to live out our dreams with Him and do
whatever He asks of us!
Payment for coaching football and teaching a student from George Fox University recently ended, which left us with our only source of income – unemployment – scheduled to end in February. Although we have been completely at peace with our circumstances, we couldn’t help but wonder just exactly what the Lord was up to. There has been an excitement in our spirits for what is/was to come! Then on December 7th Josh was offered and accepted a position as Program Coordinator for the Salvation Army. He will be working at the family crisis shelter, and it is the perfect opportunity for him to share the love of God with those that may be struggling to see The Light at the end of the tunnel. Although the pay is a substantial decrease from his teaching salary, the Lord made it clear that we should not let money be the deciding factor for rejecting the job. We trust the Lord with all of our heart and are choosing not to lean on our own understanding [Proverbs 3:5]. It’s a choice that we must make daily. We must choose to stay connected to the vine (Jesus) in order for Him to produce fruit in us – His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. All fruitfulness comes out of a place of intimacy, and we love going deeper with our Father every day simply because we love Him above all else! For the past few years God has placed our family in many circumstances that really put our faith and trust in Him to the test. Through it all He has shown us how to live a life of freedom and authentic faith, willing to take risks, instead of living out of a place of fear or “what-ifs”. He has replaced our fears with a personal touch of His love [1 John 4:18]. Instead of putting our trust and dependence in ourselves and man, we have turned to fully trusting in Him with all areas of our lives [Psalm 118:8]. He is our source for everything!
When Josh was asked not to return to Initial Point High School this year, we took this to the Lord and asked Him to provide a way for us to continue pouring into these kids’ lives because they held a special place in our hearts and His. We’ve been asking Him for the youth/teens in this area, and He has honored and responded to our hearts. We’ve been given the opportunity to hold a class in our home called “Unjerkness 101”. The point of the class is how to live a selfless life in a selfish world. It has been an amazing time connecting with everyone that has come and we honor and praise Him for the transformation that is happening in the lives of others. All for His glory!!
One thing that was prophesied over us while in Africa was this: “It won’t be one or the other but both and more.” He has opened two (both) amazing doors for us and we know that more is coming!! A question that God has put on my heart for all to ponder is this – do you trust God OR do you simply believe God? If you don’t know the difference, ask Him to show you and He will [Matthew 7:7]!
Love, peace and joy to all of you!!
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