Go ahead, jump!

My heart was pounding.  Van Halen’s “Go ahead, jump” was blaring.  I was hooked up, standing on a ledge, about to take my first bungy leap.  What on earth was I thinking?  I’m not even all that great with heights!  Yet I’d made a decision to take up new challenges each year of my 40’s.  What if I chicken out? Worse, what if the bungy doesn’t do its job? Trust is a curious thing indeed.

 It was said of Abraham (Romans 4:17-20) that he faced the facts head on, yet chose to believe.  He chose to be fully persuaded in a powerful God who calls things that are not as though they were.  Abraham, it says, “didn’t waver in unbelief regarding the promise of God.”  The phrase “didn’t waver” essentially means he “didn’t decide against” God’s leading, but took God’s word and character as truth over his circumstances.

Our family is about to embark on another faith adventure.  We’re stepping down from our roles here and planning a return to serve God in the Middle East. We believe we’ve heard God correctly.  The timing seems right.  However, after initial progress we find ourselves up against some pretty hefty obstacles – one of which is finding a good working visa option, in a notoriously difficult place. 

Questions abound.  With no super-dooper new church planting strategies in our “toolbox” can we trust God for real breakthrough where we’ve not seen it before? Can we find a decent foster-home for our pooch, and storage for our things?  If the truth be known our hearts are beginning to pound again. These faith steps don’t get any easier, but like Abraham, we’re choosing to “not decide against” what is as yet unseen.

Andy and Ellie, together with their 3 gorgeous girls, are preparing for a Middle East return.  They’re realistic of what’s ahead, but can’t wait to enjoy the phenomenal food, peoples and cultures again