This seems to be a theme lately. People are telling me to "write down" the specifics about what God is doing, so I have decided to tell you most of it via the blog. I get to record the history of God's faithfulness to us, reread it when I doubt or fear, praise Him over and over for caring for us and those for whom we seek to do ministry, and preserve for those who want to know how God's care is individual, strategic, lavish, and love-driven.
When we started The Basic Idea Ministries, Inc., the main reason I called it "the basic idea" is that God's love for me is the basic idea that started all of this. He loves me and sent Jesus, He loves me and knows me; He loves me and wants what is best for me all the time. His love for me does not always show up in making life a piece of cake, but just as a perfect, loving parent He cares about my life even when I don't and cares about me without hesitation or condition. My response is to lovingly obey, remain honest with Him even when I have difficult things to tell Him, and run to Him as my primary care giver and friend. Wild, isn't it, to think that the God of the universe is my friend, father, provider, and comforter. That's personal!
Lest you get the idea I am saying not to go to others and just rely on God, let me be quick to say......balogna. We need each other, we are to love each other, we are to meet needs for others from a heart of love for them, but when we go to others we should have already been with the Father or be ready to go there soon. These relationships we are in with each other and with Him are related...I know, I should have used something other than a word like "related" which is so closely related to relationships. I digress.
Another example of God's faithful provision: As God has supplied the money, venue, and couples for the Honduras Marriage Retreat May 22-28, 2011, He is now supplying the need for the bills to be paid while we are preparing and going. I was in need of a little over $1200 to be current with expenses, and last week I decided to pray instead of freak out. What a concept!
Weeks ago I was contacted by a friend from a former youth group. He now lives in GA and wanted to talk about some personal stuff he faces. We met for a meal last week and talked a couple of hours. He is facing some tough challenges so we discussed resources and God's power in our lives as it concerns loving others over the bridge of friendship. We talked deeply about our role as parents in knowing our children and loving them in ways they can feel.
At the end of the conversation, he asked how he could help me.
My response was both predictable and limited. It was predictable in that I am struggling with being gone from North Point, working alone much of the time, and trying to handle the details of a business/ministry as well as trying not to be angry at churches who don't seem to place much priority on marriage ministry. I want to be passionate about it but not judgmental or mad. After I told him he could pray for me about that, he asked, "What can I do?" I finally caught his meaning and answered that we always seem to have financial issues in paying for family needs and ministry projects. I didn't give him an amount so I limited what he wanted to do. He finally asked the question again with emphasis on my being specific enough to give him an amount. I told him we needed about $1000 currently to help prepare for Honduras and pay bills for TBI. He pulled a check from his billfold (he said he never carries a check in his billfold except for that day) and wrote a $1000 check to help TBI keep moving forward. How about that!!!!
A few days later an email came in from a counselor-friend. Carol, Jeanne, and I have had a great time getting to know this couple over the last few months. In her email she stated that they were thinking about our ministry, believed in what we are doing, and were led to send in a check for $300 to Helping Hands Ministries for us. (Helping Hands is still our umbrella while we continue to wait for our tax-exempt application to be processed by the IRS.)
You don't have to be great in math to see that we needed approximately $1300 and God supplied it through these 2 friends.
Certainly we need continued financial provision for not only our family budget but also for the work God sends us to do for other people, groups, churches, missionaries, pastors, leaders.....
When I think of it as being needy continually and not having a company or church over us to pay for insurance, food, house note, travel expenses, accommodations for conferences in other countries, etc, etc, etc, I can get a bit "freaked out", but we are now 7 months into this ministry and our Father continues to supply the resources to meet our needs. He has even done things I didn't ask for specifically. This trip to Honduras to get to work with 6 or 7 missionary couples wasn't on my radar until He put it there. Getting to lead the last day of the Galatians 6:6 retreat for Dr. Ferguson at WinShape, and working with the Central Texas marriage leaders, or helping with the Orlando Conference were all opportunities I had no idea would come to us. Now there is a chance to go back to Kenya for a marriage conference this fall.
Not once have we received a check on the "Bank of Heaven", but He just as surely is behind the supply for our needs as if the money had come directly to us from His pocket. He has given to others and they have freely given to us, and the sources have for the most part been unpredictable. As my friend Shad Williams (wegotothem.com) told me recently, "I know God will send what we need from His warehouse of resources, but I don't know which truck line He will use or exactly when that truck will arrive." I couldn't have said it better myself.
So, please keep praying for us that we'll wait patiently, trust fully, seek prayerfully, love unconditionally, and move quickly on the paths God opens for us to serve His body, the Church, wherever He wants us to go.
OK, all you advisers out there....I wrote it down again. :)
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