God is NOT surprised

God is NOT surprised! This is a saying we say to each other often when it seems the world is in chaos and hope diminishes in the face of crisis.  We experienced this recently when, in light of the pandemic, a local church had to make a difficult decision to postpone our Messy Church outreach for Easter, then the Enlightening Kidz Ministry scheduled each Friday night was suspended, and finally, like many of our pastor friends had to do, our church services were cancelled until an unspecified date later. Schools in Scotland are closed, events are cancelled, and churches are suspending their meeting and ministries. It is disheartening to see this happen.

But God tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” God is NOT surprised! In the midst of confusion and chaos the Lord is telling us to look to His peace and pray in faith. Jesus once said to His disciples in the Gospel of Luke, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.”  This was a promise that it will happen because the Son of God said so. But on that boat journey they were met with a massive storm threatening their lives, panicking in fear, and accusing the Saviour. They did not look to the Prince of Peace asleep on a cushion in the same boat rocked by the same insurmountable wind and waves! Will Jesus have to question our faith and still the storms this present crisis is brewing? We will look to the Saviour who is not surprised, but at peace and trust in the promises He made long before this present situation?

In Second Chronicles Jehoshaphat, one of the ancient kings of Judah, when he was threatened with invasion in Jerusalem by enemies that were too powerful to defeat. It says, “Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” Instead of panic and fear, they prayed to the Lord. And while they all sought God’s wisdom, He answered through a man named Jahaziel when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” After these Words the king of Judah encouraged the people to believe in the Lord’s promises and the prophets He speaks through, then they all praised God shouting, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His steadfast love endures forever!” At the very moment of their worship and praise of God keeping His promise the LORD set an ambush against their enemies, destroying them, and preserving the people of Jerusalem!

We are reminded of another time in the history of the UK, in 1939,  when the threat of invasion and destruction was a terrifying fact. The Ministry of Information produced a set of three posters to bolster the British by disseminating information helpful to the war effort. One, made famous by the tourist industry and still a uniquely British icon today, is "Keep Calm & Carry On.

 Keep calm and carry on! Keep calm and know that the King of Kings is not surprised by plagues, famines, destruction, and disasters, but step into the heart of of Jesus, the Prince of Peace whom we can trust is the One Who carries out His promises. Carry on to prayer in Him to stand in His promises and praise Him that God’s love for us will last beyond what we can ever imagine.

 To quote one of our favourite heroes of the faith, Corrie Tenboom, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” We trust and love Jesus, therefore we will seek His peace, pray continuously, and praise Him always! Thank so much for your time! We hope and pray this encouraged your hearts! We love you all!

Finding Our Feet

Finding your feet is an expression that means becoming confident in a new situation.  One in which you are not familiar or comfortable.  For instance: getting married, having children, changing school or job, or, as in our case, moving to a new location.

We are missionaries in the country of Scotland and two months ago we exchanged our ministry in Edinburgh, the most urban we have ever lived, for Dornoch a village in the Highlands of Scotland that is an hour away from the nearest movie theater.  Let that sink in.  

We answered the call of God to be missionaries in 2011 when we left our professional jobs and began intineration.  That is, traveling to churches to raise money for our mission.  In 2013 we arrived in Edinburgh and began 4 years of ministry there with a church plant.  God did some amazing things in and through us.  It's wonderful what can happen when you follow the path that God sets in front of you.  

In 2017, we went back to the USA for our second round of itineration and in December 2018 God moved us back to Scotland.  We've found it very interesting to be back in our country of calling and yet not back in the area that we know and where we have friends. We are not qualified to do what we have been sent here to do, which is plant communities of faith, but we know that God is.

Psalm 119:105 says Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  Think about when you're in the woods camping and you have to find the bathroom in the middle of the night.  It's very rarely right next door.  When you leave your tent with your light where do you point it?  Not in the air or high up in front of you, you might trip over a tree root or a rock.  No, you put the light at your feet and let it light up each step as you walk forward. It works the same way when you walk in any unfamiliar territory whether it be a darkened room or an untenable situation. 

This verse in Psalm 119 says that God's word is a lamp and a light.  As long as we let God's word and will light our way we will never to be lost in the dark.

We intend this blog to be inspiring, informative and maybe even a little funny as we continue to find our feet in this new endeavor.  We hope you will all follow us as we go.