Tonight Shane and I had the great priviledge of meeting with our new pastor to share our testimonies and be considered for membership in our new church.
As I sat there with my beloved, across from this pastor for whom I prayed, I was awash with thanksgiving to the Lord.
Since coming to Arizona, we have had the opportunity to be in many churches, in our search for home. I can look back at the time that God had us in each of them, and can see His hand in all of our searching.
Yet, I still kept longing for home. I think you just know it when you find your church home...and while we'd met some PRECIOUS people of God, and even heard some great sermons, we just were not home.
I spent HOURS on my face before God BEGGING Him for our home church...PLEADING with Him to raise up a Bible church in our area. CRYING out to Him for a church that wouldn't dumb down the Word for our kids, that would welcome family worship, that would not exclude our children from communion, and that would teach us the Word of God in Spirit and in Truth.
Oh, I have to admit, I also prayed that the church would be close enough to our home that we could be a true part of it, and that it wouldn't have 1,000s upon 1,000s of members. (personal preference)
I truly can see His hand in every place He had us over the past 5 years...and I can even see His timing in why we had to wait so long to find home. I know He's sovereign. I know He had a plan in everything.
Yet, I have to say...it's good to be home! :)
It's good to know that we're where God has ordained for us to be. It's good to know that we're in a body of believers that is small enough that our gifts can be used to edify the body, and that we can get to know the fellow saints on a personal level.
It's good to see my children ecstatic about the thought of going to church!
And, it's exciting to me to know that both Shane and I will be able to learn TONS from our pastor, because he is a diligent student of the Word of God.
I made a comment to him tonight about how an idea I had might help with regard to marketing (that's my background)....and he gently corrected me..."Our focus is on the Kingdom. God will take care of the marketing. He'll bring the people."
Oooooooh! I knew that! I knew that!
I hate it when I say stupid things! I especially hate it when I say stupid things that I knew better than to say. I think sometimes that my tongue has tennie shoes on....it runs so much faster than my brain does!
The only thing that I don't like about our new pastor (and I'd appreciate it if you not mention this to him) ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ .....................................................................................................................................................................................................is
He's a Cowboy's fan! (UGH!)
I wonder if he could be converted?
Think I could get him to wear a cheese-head? :)
I might just have to keep my eyes open for one at Goodwill...could make a great Christmas present!
Oh...and that he talks faster than I can think!
He's from Boston, and I'm from Texas....it's not that Texans ARE slow...it's just that we process slowly. ;) Shane's only hope is that he's exceedingly smart...otherwise, he'd be hopeless due to the speed/processing issue...he is from Tennessee for goodness sake! (Do I have to explain this?)
So, I'm hoping that after sitting under our pastor's teaching for 6 months or so, I'll be quick as lightnin'! Brain sharp as a thunderclap! Faster than a speeding bullet!
(Hey! One can wish!)
If you have a Bible teaching, Kingdom focused pastor...I encourage you to ask the Lord how you might be able to bless him and his family this week.
I know how tired I get just being a Bible study leader....and how much warfare I deal with. I can't begin to IMAGINE what truly Godly pastors have to deal with on a weekly, even daily basis! They need to have the saints lifting them up in prayer and serving them through good works.
How can you bless your pastor this week?
- A meal?
- A card?
- Airline tickets for he and his wife?
- Babysit his children?
- Cut his grass?
- Let him use your vacation home for a week of rest?
- Pray for him? (You do this every week, right? Especially on Sat. nights and Sun. mornings!)
- Treat him to lunch after church this Sunday?
- What about simply telling him how much you appreciate his dedication to God's Word, and to his flock? That could mean so much to him...to know that his labor is not in vain.
OK...I was inspired to write this...inspired by an answer to a 5 year long plea before the Lord.
Hope you were encouraged.
Tomorrow, I'll write about Kings & Prophets. (Sorry I'm so late on it, Deb!)
Love you much....
Jes
I can't BELIEVE that Brennan can do that with her eyes! She must have inherited a trait from my family, because she can also look straight ahead with one eye, all the while moving the other from left to right. (My brother can do this, and so could my mother's father....made for good story telling!) Ugh! Makes my eyes hurt just thinking about it!
