Leaving the Land of Familiar...

I recently finished reading a very inspiring book. The book reminded me of who I am in Christ and who I was created to be. "The Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson is one to add to your list (if you've got one) and once you add it to your list, bump it up to the top. It's a quick read, but every single sentence is a gem. I would find myself wanting to make every other sentence my facebook status...that's how good it is :)! The book came to me at just the right time. Winds of change are definitely blowing our direction, and it's not always easy for me to stay focused. In the book, Bruce (I feel comfortable enough to call him by his first name-you can too), tells a story about a character named Ordinary who one day wakes up with a dream and over time, realizes he needs to leave his home, called Familiar, to pursue his dream. Well, that's exactly where Ryan & I find ourselves today. We awoke with a dream and now it's time to leave Familiar and take the leap of faith required to move forward. I'm going to share with you a bit about our dream to give you some insight into what's going on in our lives nowadays.

In June, Ryan's job ended at our church. It wasn't a bad ending or an unexpected let-go (thankfully). Instead, the Lord had been slowly preparing our hearts and when the time came for his job to officially be over, we knew it was time to move forward. "To where?" you ask...well, we don't fully know yet. But in the process of putting one foot in front of the other, we are excited about an upcoming opportunity the Lord has presented us. We are being sponsored to attend a Church Planter's Assessment next week through a national church planting association called Converge USA. We are very excited to learn, grow and listen as we see if church planting might be a part of the Lord's plan for our ministry together as a family.

Life can easily get clouded with thoughts of "me" & "mine". I am daily being challenged to ask the Lord, "What do YOU want for my life? How can I serve YOU?" If I truly believe that the Lord will provide for all my needs and if I say I walk by faith-then I have to DO it. I have to be ok breaking out of my comfortable life (my land of familiar) and pushing through to what lies ahead. My life can no longer be dictated by money and possessions-those fade away. The Lord is asking much more of His people than to live comfortable, easy lives. He is asking us to live a life ready to go when He says go; and in that obedience, we will find true fullness in life. I'm ready to break out of the norm and see what lies ahead. Won't you come with me?