It’s not everyday that I get a brilliant idea, so when I do I need to write about it here. I’m not sure that it’s so brilliant, but it’s something that I am happy about, so I wanted to share it.
We’ve never been very good at “family devotions.” You hear the stories of the families that spend hours praying together and studying the Bible, but since we have three very active little kids, it’s not been something we’ve been able to perfect as a family.
Sure, as we are going along, we talk about God and the Bible (which might be one of the most important things to do), but we’ve not made a whole lot of progress of being intentional about those conversations so far. Our family is young, so we have some time, but not that much. Like everyone says, “They’ll be grown before we know it.”
A few weeks ago, we I (Dennis) had a crazy idea to paint one of the walls in our house with chalkboard paint. It’s fun and the kids get permission to draw on a wall. We use it for home school and other things. Then it hit me: Why not post an intentional question on the wall and let the kids answer with a word or a drawing? The parents can play along, too, answering the question each day as we pass by the wall.
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Last week we had our friends Chris and Hannah Bond in town to research costs of living and other things that they need to know as they prepare to move to Mexico to join our team. We are excited for them and are praying that God will open doors for them in extraordinary ways so that they can be on the mission field soon.
The plan is that they will spend a few years in Mexico while learning Spanish and helping us with the ministry here. Then they move to Central America to open a new field for Youth Ministry International in Central America. Since our job is to oversee all of Latin America, the new addition of Chris and Hannah is really important to our overall vision.
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I write this as I’m sitting in the Greenville airport waiting for my flight back to Clearwater. I just left the Chevy Venture minivan we have been driving for the last few months. Maybe I’m just emotional about this week, but even as I got out of the van for the last time I couldn’t help but think about how incredible it is when God’s people come together to support each other in His work.
We get vehicles when we are in the States from one of two places: a ministry in St. Pete, Florida called Missionary Ministries or one in South Carolina called Macedonian Call. Each time we work with them it is incredible to see different parts of the body of Christ come together to fulfill His mission.
Our family is grateful for both Tom and Mitch, who are faithfully concerned about missionary families and their need to move around while on stateside assignment. It is such a relief to know that God has placed it on their hearts and the hearts of those involved in their ministries to provide a need for us when we need it.
We appreciate them.
We were in Orlando this past week, but I was still working on my Bible memorization that I mentioned last week. The verse for this past week was 2 Chronicles 16:9 – “For the eyes of The Lord run to and for throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him.”
These last few weeks have been reminders that God is with us and that His support is there when we need it. Makes me wonder what’s in store for 2013.
Regardless, I’m standing on these promises.
One of the themes that usually sticks with me around the Christmas season is the concept of Emmanuel. The fact that God is with us. He is near. He is not distant. These things have a certain appeal to them when you really start to apply them to your life.
The fact that we don’t need to be afraid or dismayed because He is with us brings a sense of freedom and confidence that we couldn’t have otherwise.
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