Hello Friends and Family
Hope and pray you are all doing well.
Today is a great day, God has been speaking to me through a lot things here and it is an amazing experience. I want to share with you one of things that he has been speaking to me. My father before I left gave and charged me with reading this Book called “Wild Goose Chase” by Mark Batterson. I have mentioned this before to many of you and have even written about it on my blog, But this book really is speaking some amazing truth that I have missed. And It tells me this: What we all have to say(tell others) may it be something hard that we have endured, survived, ridden out, come through, and even something we have loved, family, pets, funny story, Gods amazing grace and provision. What ever it is, it is something we must share, (yes some of those things are meant for just you and God that is fine or someone who asks and is in need) But God brings us through things to learn something and we all have our own path that we take. No path that someone else has taken has been like ours or will be like ours. Yes it might be similar but we are dealing with whatever it is because God is teaching us something. And are we listening? Are we paying attention when we come out of the fire like Paul did after his divine shipwreck and snakebite in Malta? Are we giving thanks to even when things are not falling apart because God is in whatever it is we are doing? SO with that all said of what I am thinking this is what spawned that thought process and really do your self a favor and treat your self to an amazing read that is short and simple. Honestly as soon as I am done with it I want to start it again and do it all over again.
This section is in a Chapter “Sometimes is takes a shipwreck” and a sub Chapter called “A sense of Destiny”
“ The Church I serve as Pastor, National Community Church, may one of the most disoriented churches in the country. That’s because 70 percent of NCCers are single twentysomethings who are navigating the quarterlife crisis.
The third decade of life is full of spiritual, relational, occupational, and even geographical disorientation. Twenteysomethings are making the decision they will manage the rest of their lives. What do I believe? Who should I marry? What should I do with my life? Where should I live? Those are tough decisions with lifelong ramifications. And that is why the quarterlife crisis can be so disorienting.
My cousin-in-law Dave Schmidgall was navigating some of those quarterlife issues a few years ago when we invited him over for dinner to talk through some of the decisions he was trying to make. He was experiencing disorientation on all fronts. He wasn’t sure what to do with his degree. He loved living in DC, but he was thinking about moving back home. And he wasn’t sure where his relationship with is girlfriend would or should go. We talked for several hours. Then I prayed one of those unscripted prayers where you aren’t sure exactly what you’re saying until after you’ve said it. “Lord, thank you that you want us to get where you want us to go more than we want to get where you want us to go.”
We actually quit praying and started laughing when those words came out of my mouth because we weren’t sure what I had just prayed. It took a minute to decipher the riddle, but once we did, we felt a tremendous sense of relief. All the stress was taken off our shoulders when we reminded ourselves of this simple truth: God is for more concerned about your future than you are.
We put so much pressure on ourselves, as if the eternal plans of almighty God are contingent upon our ability to decipher them. The truth is, God wants to reveal them more than we want to know them. And if we think one misstep can frustrate the providential plan of the omnipotent one, then our God is way too small. Not only does God want us to get where God wants us to go more than we want to get where God wants us to go, but He is awfully good at getting us there. He may mot always reveal His plans how or when we want Him to. But when we chase the Wild Goose, our future becomes His responsibility. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”
Do me a favor. Stop reading for a moment and take a deep breath. Now let it out.
A deep breath recalibrates us physiologically. It relaxes us. The sovereignty of God has the same effect on me spiritually. When I’m reminded that God is the one ordering my footsteps, it helps me relax. God is in the business of positioning us in the right place at the right time. And that ought to give us an unshakable sense of destiny even when we feel disoriented.”
--Mark Batterson—
So that is what I read today I think 3 times. And the previous statement is how I feel when I read things like this. The reason is because Mark was given an experience for others to benefit from. Like our personal stories are given to us from God to help us get through something and also tell others what had happened. We all have stories that are these moments of revelation an AHH HAAA moment. Us being silent about what God is doing is at times hurting others from hearing something God needs to be telling them through us. Put that in your pipe and smoke on it. What is God telling you to share with others that is going on in your life?
Thanks for the amazing prayers from everyone. Even if it a quick one when you think of Africa. Blessings to you all.
Things you can pray for:
· UCBC and to get materials they need still.
· Brandon Holmes he is about to go to CIT for training and then to hear so pray that his support continues to come in.
· Our team and our house.
· For some of the students who have malaria, their names are Ralph and alfonz. They are still in the hospital.
· Shanga Rosa she is not doing well health wise she is the older sister of Dr. Kasali
K until next time…
P E A C E from the M O O S E
Oh and do something different today just for the fun of it. Be spontaneous. Take a friend lunch or buy someone some food that doesn’t have any. And you might have to go out of your way but it will make your day.
OK for real final thought(s):
GO GET THE BOOK!
And “I think some of us want to know the will of God more than we want to know God. And it short-circuits spiritual growth. You can’t do the will of God if you don’t have the heart of God. And that is where shipwrecks and snakebites come into play (Paul in Malta). They don’t just get us where God wants us to go; they help us become who He wants us to be.”
