An example of God's faithfulness

This will probably seem like an incredibly small thing for most everyone reading this post but to me and my husband this is an example of God's provision. Let me quickly summarize why this is such a wonderful encouragement. Jon and I live in a small one bedroom apartment. We fully believed that we would be moved out and settled in a home with Jon working in some sort of ministry opportunity by now but that is just not how things have panned out. Since we live in a small apartment we have virtually nothing in place for this baby that will soon be making an appearance. We just have no room. Anyways, Jon's wonderful grandmother bought us a Pack'n Play which we will use as a crib until God moves us into a more permanent living situation. A small thing I know but for a close to 7 month pregnant woman it screams God's faithfulness. I know that as September draws near I will daily see even more reminders that our God is taking care of us even in the small things.

Isn't it pretty?!? Thanks Grandmother!!!

Getting Outside of Myself

A dear friend of mine recently gave me a book called Prayers for the Faithful. This book guides Christians in specific ways to pray for their brothers and sisters who are serving the Lord overseas as missionaries. For those of you who know me well know that a book like this is right up my alley. The friend who gave me this book is preparing, along with her husband and young daughter, to serve Christ in Asia, most likely for the rest of their lives. I also have another friend of mine who will soon be serving alongside her husband in much the same way.

Over the years as I have read various missionary biographies the subject of prayer in the lives and ministries of these men and women is viewed with the utmost importance. The need for prayer when it comes to missions is imperative since the task they face is so enormous. Like any Christian longing to faithfully serve the Lord no matter where they have been called prayers are crucial to sustain their ministry and ultimately to bring glory to God through the spreading of the Gospel. The need is great, far greater than words can express.

The verse that I prayed over missionaries today is from Isaiah 11:5.

"Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist."

Along with praying scripture today's prayers were also focused on a specific area of the world, Afghanistan. One thing that struck me when reading about this particular country is that there is not an entire Bible translated into any of the official languages of Afghanistan. The New Testament is only available in two languages which leaves 45 of the spoken languages without any access to scripture. That is just one of numerous needs in that country. If you are interested in joining with me in prayer you can find more information on Operation World's website.

Praying Specifically for Afghanistan

Seeking Strength and Learning From Weakness

I'm meditating on Numbers 11 and Psalm 91 today. My faith is so weak. God may my eyes be set on you with thankfulness and trust. What you have provided for today is enough.

"I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust."

- Psalm 91:2

Closed Doors

A lot has happened since my last post. On Tuesday morning Jon and I arrived back in Louisville after a wonderful Florida vacation to see his family. Jon's youngest brother graduated high school and we had the privilege of being there to celebrate. The only down side we faced was the LONG drive from Louisville Kentucky to Ft. Lauderdale Florida. The drive was somewhere in the 16 hour range and we managed to drive it straight through the night.

Aside from some refreshing vacation time there has been quite a number of challenges on the job front. Over the past week and a half God has closed two very large doors that Jon and I had hoped would possibly lead us into the next step of this journey. One of the opportunities almost felt like a sure thing and after our only options were closed in front of us I started to feel desperate. Honestly deep down I felt that at least one of the jobs would be "the one" we had waited on, that ministry position God had been leading us to all of these months. After the second door abruptly closed I started to feel panic well up in me. What are we going to do? How in the world are we supposed to make our current situation work? This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Wednesday of this past week was my breaking point when all of my pent up emotions came rushing out and I felt utterly defeated. Thankfully God has so graciously surrounded us with a supportive church family, namely our community group.

So now what? Jon has looked into some new options concerning where he can send his resume and the job search continues. Right now we have absolutely nothing on the horizon, nothing. For those of you who read this I could definitely use prayer that I would continue to trust the Lord in the midst of this uncertain time. His attributes remain the same. He is my one constant and for that I am entirely thankful. Also pray that as a couple Jon and I would seek the Lord and his glory above all other things. We are exactly where the Lord wants us to be until he leads us elsewhere. I don't want to forget that. So for now we continue to wait.