Where we are going...
In just a little over 2 weeks my sweet family will be pulling out of Wake Forest and heading south on I-85 to begin the next chapter of our little life. We are moving to...
Greenville, SC! Well, Greer, SC to be exact. It is not a huge change, which, at this point in life I am very thankful for. (Hey, I finally feel like I am thriving with this whole 3 kid thing. Moving across the country might throw me for a huge loop, and the Lord knows with my 3 I don't need any loops!)
So why Greenville? Why to this area where there are plenty of churches? Why to an area where I recently overheard it be referred to as the "belt buckle" of the Bible belt? Ultimately, because that's where we see the Lord leading us. At first glance it may not make sense, since yes, there are a lot of churches in the area. However, we have prayed and have seen over and over again the Lord opening doors and leading us there.
When we first started this journey we were talking about moving to Montana, Colorado, and discussed how my husband would LOVE to move to Germany or Switzerland. The thought of moving to these places (any place out of my little comfort zone really) was just down right hard. I battled with the Lord about this, but was challenged by a thought from what an old friend had once said....We don't sign up to serve the Lord in a specific area, we sign up to serve the Lord. Period. We follow Him. He leads the way. We can make plans, but the Lord determines the steps. After some conviction from the Word, and lots of time in prayer, I had a great peace about following the Lord wherever He would send us. Not saying that it wouldn't be hard, or that even in myself I would be "happy" about it, but I had peace that wherever the Lord would have us that would be the best place for us. It would be best because it would be His plan and provision for us.
Then came the waiting and praying for more direction and guidance for the men in this group. Then low and behold, Greenville, SC became an option! Really God?!? It is closer to my family. It is still in the southeast. It is familiar! Could you really want us to go there? All signs pointed to yes. So, the first family got their house ready to go, and it was under contract within a month! We were next to put our house on the market, and again, within a month it was under contract! One family decided to rent their home, and the Lord quickly provided a renter! They will be moving down the same weekend with us! There are a couple more families in the process of getting their homes ready to sell, and we are praying for a quick process for them as well! (You can pray to that end for them too!) We have been so encouraged with how things have happened thus far and feel confident we are heading in the correct direction.
Another huge reason for staying in the Southeast is because of the "Jesus Culture." Lots of people in this area go to church on Sunday, say all the right things, but their hearts are far from being submitted to Jesus as Lord. This was me. I wanted Jesus to save me from Hell, but I didn't want Him to be Lord over my life. (Read my story here to see how the Lord changed me!) Everyone wants "fire insurance," so they pray a prayer and think that is all that is needed. But, the Bible speaks to it being so much more than that. The verse that always strikes me when I think of the Bible belt is Matthew 7:21-23,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
We hope to shine as ones who have been radically changed by God, seeking to glorify Him in all we do, and showing through our weakness and still sinful selves that we have a GREAT Savior. We just want the Gospel of Jesus to be shown. The Gospel says it's not about what you do or what you bring to the table, it's ALL about what Jesus has done. And from that flows good works to glorify Him. We can never ever earn it on our good behavior or deeds. If you have some time, I would HIGHLY suggest you read my friend's post about her heart (which echos my heart) for this area of the country that we are moving to. Check it out here.
This is just the first step in our journey. We desire to come along side a church for a while and get to know the needs of the community. We will seek the Lord's wisdom in either doing church planting or church revitalization. Either way, it will certainly have challenges. We would so appreciate your prayers in this time of transition as we seek to follow the Lord to South Carolina!
Believing it's all from His hand,
~Heather
No comments:
Post a Comment