2 yrs

On 12/23/09 I got up at my usual time to read & listen out for whatever God had to say to me.

I was reading in 1 Thessalonians 5 that day. When I got to verse 18, it came up off the page.

"No matter what happens, always be thankful; for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

And the restlessness started in my heart - usually when that kind of restlessness comes along from God, it means change is coming. Little did I know...

Then in January, 2010, He gave me 3 more passages...

Proverbs 3:5 (The Message)
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
   don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
   He's the One Who will keep you on track.

Proverbs 4:25 Look straight ahead,
      and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet;
      stay on the safe path.
 27 Don’t get sidetracked;
      keep your feet from following evil.

Hebrews 10:35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.

I didn't know what was coming, but I knew something was.

In April, the day after I turned over House of Grace & Christ Chapel Downtown to Dave White, He gave me this passage...

Is 41:9b For I have chosen you & will not throw you away.
   10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
   Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
   I will strengthen you.
   I will help you.
   I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.


And so, to make a long story short, we moved to Blairsville September 1, 2010.


For the first 8 months of 2010 we were plummeting into whatever God had "next" for us.

But on 9/1/2010 we came to a stand stlll.

And we've been at a stand still ever since.

A couple of months ago, He gave me this passage...


Matthew 6:33 The Message Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.

Don't worry about missing out.

You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

 34 Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now,
         and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.

God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.


Have the last 2 years been hard?

Yes.

Do you understand what's going on?

Nope.

I'd best describe us now as clueless.

What am I getting these days? The same thing I've been getting for 16 months...

"Wait."

"Trust Me."

Everything you have thought or might think, we have thought of dozens of times over the last 16 months.

Every scripture you could quote, we have read, dozens of times.

And whatever advice you might give, we've been given &/or thought of ourselves, & considered it dozens of times.

We try to remember that we are servants. Servants are told what to be & do, & sometimes aren't told why.

(btw, anyone who says, "All I want to be is a servant of the Lord" usually hasn't been one.)

(& anyone who quickly quotes to you the verse, "They that wait upon the Lord..." probably never has had to.)

Does the last 16 months make any sense?

Nope.

For around the last 4 decades both of us were going at about 100 mph in ministry.

Now we are standing still.

We are clueless.

And we constantly listen out for further instructions from God.

I think it's important for people to know, now, what it's like living during this season of our life, not when we've moved on to the next season with God. It's so easy to look back & talk about how dauntlessly we followed the Lord through it all, cheerfully & giddily. Sometimes being a servant, following, & trusting, isn't quite as glamorous as it seems when we've come out of it & moved on to some more glittering ministry opportunity.

These 2 yrs have been the toughest in our lives. And we don't have a clue what it all means. And what 's more, we don't see an any end in sight for this season we're in.

But this season wasn't our idea, it was God's. We're not responsible for making it happen. He is. We're just responsible to serve Him as He leads us.

And so, we wait, & trust.