Family Update

Here are three quick updates for our family, then a few ways you can pray for us.

• I (Blake) am currently in Brussels taking a course on Biblical interpretation. This is part of a graduate program made available through Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and Continental Theological Seminary. My goal is to complete a masters degree in intercultural studies, which will be extremely valuable for our ministry.
• Katy has decided to enroll in Assembly of God Ireland's (AGI) leadership school, SALT, which stands for School of Advanced Leadership Training. Katy taking each course will help give us more insight into Irish culture. Upon completing all three trimesters (approximately one year), Katy will qualify to apply for credentials with AGI. SALT will also provide Katy with practical leadership training directly applicable to her specific ministry context.
• Eden has decided to pursue his doctorate. (just kidding) Eden is about to start walking soon (CRAZY!) so we are going to need more space than our little apartment. We're not sure exactly where, but we're praying for wisdom and favor as we move house in July.  

Ways you can pray. 

• Please pray we would have wisdom concerning our finances to pay for this schooling. We believe God opened this door to us, and we know He’ll provide. Our respective courses will be a tremendous help to our ministry.
• Please pray for the right house/apartment to move into as well as the right timing. It will be pretty complicated and expensive to move so we are asking God to give us a place that will work for the next five years or more.

We value and appreciate your prayers more than you know. Thank you for continued support as we (you and us) continue to pursue God’s calling in Dublin, Ireland.

All Stopped Up

We all go through seasons in life when we feel blah. We may feel purposeless, afraid, or just plain tired mentally and emotionally. I’ve definitely experienced these feelings as a new parent and a person in ministry. During times when we feel stuck, we find we have to reboot our perspective on life.

Many people attempt this through a new hobby, an organization strategy, or meditation (on scripture). These are all great things to try, but I have found that the only way I’ve ever successfully become “un-stuck” in my heart is through the peace and truth of Jesus in my life. He is my purpose and, therefore, my drive to live life to the fullest (even if life only momentarily involves wiping a little snotty nose and singing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”).

When we need to shift our gaze from our own blah-ness to Jesus, the Holy Spirit helps us bring out what we need to...both the good and bad attributes of our lives. He breathes into us all the life we ever need. Check out this video for a perfect analogy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mGzwdAVlU4

When His presence fills us, our hearts have no choice but to be glad! When we choose to let Jesus sort us out, He brings out our gifts, gives us joy, and causes our bad habits to surface so that we can deal with them. Let’s let every moment - even the mundane and taxing ones - be filtered through the purpose that Jesus gives us every day.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” - Colossians 2:6

Seeking His Heart

There are many times that we, as missionaries, become consumed with the vision and planning involved in our work. Like any career, our work involves a bit of strategy...our strategy is centered around bringing honor to God and caring for others. It is easy to allow our vision to become the end-all-be-all. What we must be careful of is not to forget the One who gave us that vision.

Blake and I are planners. We absolutely love to geek out together making lists and discussing our dreams for the future. Recently we’ve felt the need to further readjust our focus from our plans to The Planner. What good is it to have a dream to see people come to know Jesus if we allow ourselves to drift away from His heart? At the very least, it’s ineffective. Nobody wants to be excited about a person about whom we are not completely passionate.

We can come up with strategic, logical, and even spiritual vision, but God is already moving. Perhaps a better plan is to join in what God is already doing. At the end of the day, what God desires is our entire attention. When we fall in love with Him, we push our metaphorical boat into the water and allow His current to carry us in a direction of His choosing.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7