Havent written here for a long time. A lot has taken place at the smith family to be honest, a lot of "desert" time. I heard someone say that we need to embrace the wilderness and the last few months that is what we have tried to do. Not try and run and find ways out but to seek God here, knowing that he has led us here, to humble us, to draw us to him, to let us expereince HIS peace in the midst of chaos. This season has been HIS GRACE to us.
It has forces us as a family to really seek HIM. It has allowed us to expereince grace from family and friends. It has allowed to wrestle with God and HIS calling on our family. It has brought us to our knees many times in humlity. It has brought us out of our comfort where we are totally dependant on Jesus and then have expereinced miracles. It has made Kevin and I really pray through and talk about what is important it has slowed us down.
There are many giants that we all see and encounter everyday, and sometimes the giants are coming in all directions, but... we serve the KING of KINGS and the giants are only going to get as close to us as God allows them too. And Jesus is sitting in the throne, advocating, praying and defending us.
If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumbles, he will not fall for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
and I love the promise in 2Tim where it says "even when we are faithless, Christ will remain faithful" Our God is faithful, abounding in love, full of compassion and slow to anger. And that is what we have expereinced so much over these past few months.
As we look back over these past few month, we have seen the finger prints of God all over. It has astounded us, because even as I type about the desert, there have been many times crying out to God "WHERE ARE YOU" and not hearing him answer back - until going to HIS great book and opening it and finding promise upon promise. I love HIS WORDS, I love how HIS words convict or comfort. We have claimed these promises over and over again they have been our lifeline and HOPE. And God is FAITHFUL - we have experineced HIS faithfulness over and over.
Looking back over the past few years - God has put us on a path, a path we would have never choosen for ourselves, but a path that we feel humbled and so blessed to be called to. It started with being involved with The Boiler Room prayer ministry, then Africa and now...
He has called us to live among the poor in our area and join The Boiler Room Community,and learn from and serve each other and our neighbors in the NAME of JESUS.
Yes, we are moving to Grand Rapids at the end of August. We have no idea what to expect, we just know that God has said "go" and so we walk, trusting HIS WAY.
If you get anything out of this blog I hope it will be this: We are a simple, less than ordinary, uneducated, broken family. We fail often, but only through God's grace and mercy He can take all our junk and make into something beautiful - its only because of JESUS - we are clothed in HIS righteousness. He is calling each to go into the world and make disciples. It doenst matter where it is or how it is done - but lets continue to encourage each other and spurr each other on to love God with everything and love others as we love ourselves. We are pilgrams here, we have to remember this, this is not our home - the harvest is plenty but the workers are few.
When the work is done - then we get to behold JESUS face to face - and oh what a day that will be!!
