Will you believe God?

One of the hardest things to do in life is find a church home. Since I've been married, we have moved out of state 4 times. So each of those by necessity required a church move. But this is the first time that we have felt God leading us to change churches while in the same city. It has been a very interesting experience. We didn't "fall out" with anyone. We wholly believed that God said that season was complete and closed. So this is what God showed me with this situation.

Yes, there are genuine church hoppers out there: people who only want to go to the newest place on the block, or leave when the gospel begins to address sin areas in their lives, or fall out with people and so they take their proverbial ball and go home. These are the folks who won't commit to any place, but they just go with the flavor of the day.

Many people find it more convenient to hide behind the legitimate issue of "I don't want to be a church hopper." In reality, there really is something deeper going on. There are many Christians who are just going through the motions on Sunday. Some have attended a particular church all of their lives. They cannot ever see themselves attending anywhere else. However, if you look at their spiritual lives, they are stale and stagnant. Others know in their heart that God has told them to move, but they are looking for ways to negotiate with God because they will miss the relationships. Or there are so many biblically bankrupt churches on the landscape, that they don't even know where they might start to look for a new church home.

I think the root of all of this is fear. Most people stay where they are because they are scared to leave. That is not necessarily because God hasn't revealed it to them, but honestly because they are scared to be without a church home, not to have their name on the roll at some church. They cannot imagine it any other way. But that's easy. That doesn't take any faith. You just go along with the status quo. Change is difficult. I get that!

But let me humbly suggest that sometimes God is trying to grow you, to take you out of the predictable and plant you in a new field. You miss out on your blessing because you are afraid to trust God, to really believe that He can change your situation.

But what if you would believe God and trust His plan and not your fear? What if you would dare to believe that He sees your situation and will not allow you to wander in the desert for 40 years? Because ultimately, that is our fear! What if He doesn't deliver us? Then we either go back to where we were or we stay adrift.

It is a hard road. I'm a witness. It can be scary. You can feel isolated, and many times you question whether you made the right decision. But just maybe.....God is up to something and He is putting the pieces together to do an even greater thing. If we would just join Him in His work, in His plan.

WOW! I can't wait to see what God is up to in our lives. And I hope that you will trust Him with His plan for yours as well.

That Every Kid May Know

With an estimated 380,000 orphans before the earthquake last year, even more children in Haiti now find themselves struggling to survive and make sense of tragedy in the world. I want to remind these children that in spite of their situation, "God sees them, God loves them, and He does have a purpose for their lives."

Leeway Artisans published my book, "10 Things Every Kid Should Know About God," to help children understand what having a relationship with God is about. In just a year's time, we have now teamed up with five translators to make this award-winning book accessible to children in Haiti in their own language.

I had a friend that was going to Haiti on a missions trip to work with kids in Vacation Bible School and at an orphanage. We realized that we could have a greater impact if we sent books in Creole. And within two weeks of our confirmation to start the project, four others eagerly volunteered their time to help. It was amazing to see God bring all of the pieces together.

The project is expected to reach completion by early November with a goal of sending 1000 copies of the translated version by year's end. Donations are currently being received as the project gains momentum.

"This project is a great opportunity to serve," said Gueber Lamour, one of the translators. "I was moved by the willingness of others to dedicate themselves to provide educational tools to a nation unrelated to them in many ways. In fact, my support is a token of my gratitude for what they are doing for the children in Haiti."

Initial support for the project has been overwhelming with nearly 20% of the goal reached before any public annoucement was made.

It just resonated with people. It moved me to think about how much God loves these children in spite of everything that has happened in their country. This book is just a small way of reminding them that they are not forgotten by us, nor by their Heavenly Father. I hope that God blows us away and enables us to send thousands of books to Haiti.

The Creole version of "10 Things Every Kid Should Know About God" is available for just $7 each book. For more information, visit www.leewayartisans.com/everykidshouldknow.

Thank you for your support and please remember to pray for the children of Haiti.