If your heart is in a place where you can trust God enough to be open to doing anything or going anywhere, following Jesus is a compelling adventure. In the gospels I read about His invitation to follow Him (Matthew 4:19) and I see the response: His disciples dropped everything they were doing and followed. After a process of time, prayer, and soul-searching, Trent and I were in that place: we were ready to sell anything and follow anywhere. We were prayerfully sensitive to the opportunities that came across our paths and sought to determine, “Is this opportunity God’s will for us or is this simply a distraction?” We waded through a sea of possibilities for almost a year. We prayed through business opportunities, selling our home, buying a duplex, moving back to California, and moving overseas. In the process, we discovered more about our passions, dreams and goals and we continued to bring these to the feet of Jesus and ask, “Show us what to do with these things in our hearts.” Some of the particular areas we processed included: Continue reading “anti-lukewarm”
Category: Moving
his dream
Cherries, apricots, peaches and apples were an integral part of my childhood. My family owned a soft fruit orchard on the Columbia River in Washington State. Summer days were filled with harvesting fruit for customers. Summer evenings were spent on the river boating. Waterskiing and knee boarding were our family sport. A large percentage of my happy adolescent memories can be traced back to our boat.
Therefore, after our mass-selling spree it seemed only natural to consider finding a reasonably priced boat to continue the tradition with my own family. Late in the summer season we found a great deal on a 10-year-old boat and commenced the happy memory making.
As fall approached, my husband shared that he was sensing a pull from God to sell our boat. He didn’t have any logical reasons to hang this decision on, other than a strong prompting in his heart. We agreed to pray about it and ask God to be clear so we would know how to respond.
the stirring
It was one year ago yesterday. I didn’t have a blog but I had thoughts, big thoughts and I needed to put them down in order to understand them better and reflect on them later. Looking back, I see the start of an adventure forming, come. . .
Sunday July 21, 2013:
A nervous unsettling is enveloping me. Reminiscent of the background music that slowly builds matching the approaching crescendo of tension in a thriller movie, I’m on the edge of my seat tapping my toe to non-existent music.
The events of the past month have all borne the consistent theme: let go, reduce, release. My online business of ten years: sold. Our black SUV with dark tinted windows that once made a man nervously approach me at the library and question if I was a government official and if I was perhaps following him: sold. Our extra truck that has been listed on Craig’s List forever: sold. Our trailer for hauling firewood out of the forest: sold. As we wait for someone to come look at our camping trailer (someone who heard from a friend that we might be looking to sell it) I am wondering if I should expect anything but the same to end this day. Moreover, as we empty things out of our life, I am left wondering what great adventure is hiding out behind the veil of God’s grand plan.