Giving God Honor

I want to give God honor. He has done amazing things lately. I mean.... a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

As you might guess, finances are interesting for our family right now. We have been very fortunate so far- blessed- in my Masters. I haven't worked since last March (other than a short stint this past summer), have completed 24 graduate hours and we have welcomed our fourth child- all with no school loans!

As of this week, we decided we were finally at the point where I was going to need to take out my first loan to bridge the gap between now and when the new ministry gets on its feet.

Enter God (again).

A fiend who wished to remain anonymous gave us a gift that will take all sorts of pressure off.

We also have in hand our first contribution directly to the ministry.

And, The Development will write its first check of missions support to Missionaries in AIDS stricken Ivory Coast (Africa).

And, my classes have worked out in the most ideal way possible- a way that will be ideal in three ways:

1. Ease for this trasition (mostly distance courses)
2. Learning (tailored to my interest and with my advisor)
3. Future (it allows me to take a course that will be a doorway to a possible PhD later)

And, lately I have been self-doubting about this venture just a bit (as is understandable). A good friend wrote me 3 pages of scripture giving me more courage.

And, I have been asking if I really have the right strengths for this opportunity that God is calling us to. Today I found a book in my boxes called "Strengthsfinder 2.0". It's a book we looked through at Christ's Church to discover our strengths. I share my list with you not to claim that I am really that great in any of these areas, but to show you how good God is- and to affirm that he knows what he is doing:

1. Analytical
2. Strategic
3. Learner
4. Ideation
5. Responsibility

Add to that my spiritual gifts of preaching, leadership and disicpleship and it makes me think that perhaps God does know what he is doing (not that it needs to make sense to me).

Do you want something to repeatedly pray about? This is all I ask:

Pray: "God, through your Spirit enable these believers to speak your Word with boldness."

He has done everything else, and is continuing to- so we must be faithful to speak his Word.

Please praise God with me.