Why is my path so crooked?

   

    Hello!  Stephanie and I have some news about our ministry and plans to go to the Missionary field in Germany.

    We have faced many barriers over the past few months. The first is our family's growing unhappiness with us going overseas. One of my daughters has been very vocal about us NOT going and today my 84-year-old mom also expressed concern. But our largest barrier has been health insurance. We have really struggled to try to find a company to underwrite our health insurance in Europe. We finally got a company to give us a quote, the cost was unbelievable AND we would have to keep our insurance here in the United States which is also pretty expensive. Missionary Ventures has been wonderful and they have also worked to find us something. During the past month, we have really been asking God for his guidance. Our prayer has been, “Lord if this is not what you want us to do, show us what you do want us to do.” God has been so faithful. Please read the entire post, I know it is long. I hope you will see how wonderful our God is through his miraculous answer to our prayer.

Stephanie and I are NOT going to Germany to serve as full-time missionaries.

 

    In some ways, it pains me to write that. Over the past year, I feel Stephanie and I have gone from one ministry opportunity to another. I am considering writing a book called "God: Why is my path so crooked?" It seems we have been going from one thing to another quite often in recent months. But, God has his plans, and he has us right where he wants us.

 

    As I was studying the life of Joseph and Mary, I am sure they shared the same feelings about the path God had them on. Their wonderful plans of getting married, having a family, and living out their life like everyone else, was disrupted with an amazing visit from the Angel of the Lord.(Matt. 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38) Turmoil and uncertainty entered their life. But, they were faithful and obeyed. Jesus was born, and once again, turmoil entered their life. Herod was going to kill their child. The Lord sent another Angel, and their zigzagging path sent them to Egypt.(Matt. 2:13). I am sure they felt like they just got settled when another Angel of the Lord came to them and sent them back to Judea.(Matt. 2:19) Then when they got there, another Angel of the Lord came and sent them to Nazareth. (Matt. 2:22) We often assume they knew precisely the plans God had for them and their wandering around the middle east. Yet, there is no indication they had any idea how crooked that path would be. Through it all, they were obedient.

    In November this year, I went on a missionary trip to Greece with Missionary Ventures and CMA. On my way home, Arlen, with MVI, asked if Stephanie and I ever considered being missionaries. I said no and continued on my way home. On the long flight from Greece, I read the book Contagious Disciples Making by Daryl and Paul Watson. I have never been so touched by a book (except the Bible, of course). It explained, in great detail, what God had placed on my heart before we retired. When I got home and shared Arlen's question with Stephanie, she said yes, she thought she would be interested in missionary work. That was such a shock to me. But, I felt God had his hand in this, so we started talking about it with our family, friends, and CMA co-leaders.

 

           Each of you knows the rest of that story.

    Since Christmas, Stephanie and I have faced one obstacle after another. Our daughter expressed strong resistance to our taking a missionary position in Europe. We listened and prayed continually about this change of heart. However, the greatest obstacle was with Health Insurance. With my diabetes, no insurance company would underwrite a policy for us in Europe. Finally, we got a company to make a proposal. It was just too much money, and even if we raised funds, it just wouldn't seem right. None of that money would go to ministry. So, the past couple of months, we have been in constant prayer, asking if God was closing this door, that he would open up another door.

 

On February 16th, I had a dream that was so vivid; it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. In this dream, God took me to an old downtown storefront property with an apartment above the store. I went inside, looked around, and came back out. I recognized precisely where this property was. It was in Bluffton, Indiana. When I woke up, I didn’t share the dream with Stephanie. I really didn't know what to think, and after all the changes we had been through in the past three years, I just wanted to make sure I understood the dream before talking to her.

 

    Stephanie and I planned on coming home to attend our grandson's senior night basketball game on February 22nd.  On the morning after I had the dream, I vowed to go look for the storefront building. I wasn’t really sure what would happen if it was there. I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be. So, when we came back to Indiana, I went by myself to Bluffton. I had some other errands to run and planned to search for this downtown building. When I came around the corner, to the place where I thought it would be, I pulled into a parking spot in front of the building. A "For Rent" sign was in the window. I sat there dumbfounded. I was so shocked I couldn't even think straight. Before I knew it, I was dialing the phone number. A gentleman answered the phone. After we identified he was the owner of this property, I asked if an upstairs apartment was available with the building. He hesitated and then said, "Yes." Again, I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. He asked if I wanted to see the property. I told him I was on a tight schedule and couldn't wait long. That's when he said he had a man there, right now, that could let me in. So, I went in.

    To tell you I was overwhelmed is an understatement. As I walked through the bottom "retail" area and then upstairs in the apartment, I just couldn't believe it. It was exactly as I saw in my dream. The owner had gutted and redone the downstairs, and he was in the process of doing the same to the upstairs apartment. When I got back in my car, I just sat there. I talked to the owner and told him I would get back to him, and I just sat there trying to wrap my mind around what had happened.  God sent me a clear vision and it was real!

 

    For the next three days, I kept this encounter a secret. I had to process what had just happened, and I prayed for guidance from the Lord. On our way home to Florida, I finally told Stephanie. In a fit of defiance, I said I would not change our plans for going to Germany unless I got a definite from the Lord saying it was not going to happen. So, we waited. A few days later, as I was on my daily walk, listening to the end of the book of Job, I heard God chastising Job for questioning him and asking, "Who is it that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?" (Job 38:1) The Lord said, "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God's critic, but do you have the answers?" (Job 40:1-2) I felt God asking me, what more do you need? I just sent you a miraculous sign, and you are waiting for more? Who are you to question me?" 

    As I got back to the camper, I told Stephanie we were moving forward on renting the building. I called the building owner. Stephanie and I agreed to what we could afford to pay. The owner gave us a price way below what we could afford. We decided to rent the space. I wrote a letter to our daughters telling them of the change of plans. Yesterday, I went and spoke to Arlen at MVI. We are not going to Germany.

 

    Since committing to God's plan, God has been flooding my mind with ideas. I am writing them down as quickly as I can. We are overwhelmed with excitement and grief at not going to Germany. Yet, I am also filled with pure joy to see such a powerful display of God's majesty. God is amazing.

 

So, what's next?

 

Stephanie and I will be returning to Indiana on April 15th. We will begin moving in immediately if all the remodeling is done.

 

God’s plan is for us to create a place, where we will train disciples to make disciples. This place will be a place of learning, fellowship, sharing meals, and prayer. In this place, we will teach Christians to lead Discovery Bible Groups. The mission is to create these groups around northeast Indiana. Our target for these groups is NOT believers. Our prayer is to start them in jails, drug rehab centers, homeless shelters, motorcycle shops, diners, cafes, parks,  and other public places, NOT CHURCHES. The Bible Study groups are very different than the typical Bible study groups. DISCOVERY groups are not led by someone who shares their knowledge of the Bible. The leaders of these groups help members discover the voice of God through scripture.

 

As we get back to Indiana, we would love to share more about what God has placed on our hearts. Really, it is exactly what we were going to be doing in Germany. We have just changed our location. Since we already have relationships and connections in northeast Indiana, we are praying this will speed the spread of the gospel. If you are interested in Disciple Making movements, please order and read the book Contagious Disciple Making by Daryl and Paul Watson.

 

Otherwise, please feel free to contact us. We would love to share more about what God is doing in our lives.

We can't do it all! (Update on our Mission)

 It has been a while since updating you on our newest adventure.

    Most of you know Stephanie and I are in the process of pursuing ministry as missionaries serving with Missionary Ventures, possibly in Germany. 

For those that are unaware of that, now you know! 

We feel God is calling us to this crazy new adventure, but are still deeply in the process and waiting for God to show us the path in each of the small steps along the way. We are signed up to complete some training in March and April. We are planning on an exploratory trip in April or May. Our final training and orientation with Missionary Ventures is scheduled for the end of May. THEN we will start our process of fundraising as this new adventure will have additional costs outside our budget capacity. 

SO, we have a lot of hurdles to overcome and challenges ahead of us. A great example is the challenge we are facing finding health insurance over in Europe. I am a diabetic and this "pre-existing condition" is a problem. We are working with underwriters and certainly praying about this. God has his plans!  But, that is just an example of the challenges ahead of us. God only knows the time frame and the path of the story he is presenting to us.

Another barrier is our family and current ministry focus. We have served with the Christian Motorcyclists Association for over twelve years. When we retired all of our resources and energy were focused on this ministry. Whatever time we did not spend with CMA, was spent with our family. We have three daughters and fourteen grandchildren/great-grandchildren. Now, this adventure will change that focus and those relationships will change. 

If you can put yourself in the place of our daughters and their families, you can understand their concerns. We have been in serious prayer about this change in the lives of our daughters, their families, as well as our CMA family. We are taking things slow in order to make sure we are following the will of the Lord.  We also are aware that as we focus more and more on ministry, Satan is more likely to attack. Both Stephanie and I are devoting much time to prayer, searching the scriptures, and listening to the voice of God. 

Today, I was studying Luke 4:23-30 ---

"Then he said, "You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: 'Physician, heal yourself' meaning

do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum. But

I tell you the truth -- no prophet is accepted in his own hometown. “Certainly there were many needy widows in

Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe

famine devastated the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a

foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. And many in Israel had leprosy in the

time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.” When they

heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. Jumping up, they mobbed him and

forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him

over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way. '

Luke 4:23-30

https://my.bible.com/bible/116/LUK.4.23-30

I have read this scripture many times. Today, the words about Elijah and Elisha really spoke to me. Through these two great prophets, God sent me a message:

"You are not called to do it all!"

As a follower of Christ, someone dedicated to the great commission, I want to save the world. I want everyone to become disciples of Jesus Christ. I want my family to grow in their love of Jesus. I want all my biker friends to grow in their love of Jesus. I want my past co-workers, my snowbird family, and I want my Muslim brothers and sisters to grow in their faith. When God says "go into all the world," he has a specific place picked out for us to go. For some that is your family, for some it is your neighborhood, your community, your nation. But, for some, like Elijah and Elisha, part of their call was to go to the foreigners and minister. But, We are not called to save them all. 

Elijah and Elisha have one thing in common. The choice of their ministry came directly from God. As I look back at the greats of the Old Testament, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon, Elijah, and Elisha, they were all successful when they followed the calling of God. They prayed to God about everything and God led them on their path. But, when they stopped praying, seeking God's guidance, and did things on their own, they stumbled and suffered terrible consequences. 

Stephanie and I remain in prayer about the insurance and all the other little details that need to fall into place.  We are consulting the Lord and waiting for him to act. He has called us to serve a specific group of people and we are willing to obey. If he says, "Go here," we will go. If he says, "Go there," we will go. We will follow him to northern Indiana or we will follow him to the ends of the earth. Wherever he calls we will go. 

Please pray for us as we continue this wonderful journey!!!!!!!!!

IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO?

 Wow! It's been a long time since I have written a BLOG post. I'm not really sure why. My excuses are numerous:

            1. I am taking seminary classes and school work dominates my time.

            2. We have been traveling, on the road, in the air, and that alone dominates my time.

            3. I haven't really thought about it.

            4. We have been overly involved with CMA, our chapters, secular biker events, national events, local events,

            5. Any spare time is spent with family and that isn't a lot of time. 

Ok, those are my best excuses. Believe it or not, I miss it.

I am not sure why I am starting to do this again, except to say that writing somehow helps me organize my thoughts. 

I spent the last sixteen weeks in seminary at Indiana Wesleyan Seminary, learning about who I am. We spent so much time taking personality tests, asking friends and family about our weaknesses and really thinking about who God has created us to be. 

I have found my STRENGTHS are also my greatest WEAKNESSES. 

My greatest love is people. Yet, my greatest skills are planning, organizing, learning, thinking, analyzing, and strategizing. The problem is, my skills when over used, keep me from loving people. Over reliance on my gifts lead to perfectionism and setting an impossible standard for those I work with. Those skills lead me to doing everything by myself because I can do it better than anyone else. I build walls and barriers that are hard on people that love me. I really don't show much love. 

Excessive reliance on my STRENGTHS keeps me from my greatest love ,PEOPLE. So what do I do about it?

Well, here is the plan?  God has been calling Stephanie and I to new, great things. I just know that 2022 is going to be the year we finally understand what he has been trying to get us to do for the last three years, since retirement. 

Stephanie and I have one focus for 2022, people. Specifically, we are looking for people to disciple in the faith. We are looking for people that do not know Jesus, are open to the gospel, and that God has made ready to receive his word. We want to help them discover who God is through scripture. These people we will call "Persons of Peace." That is not our term. We have been reading a book called Contagious Disciple Making: Leading Others on a Journey of Discovery written by David Watson & Paul Watson, and we love its premise for evangelism. 

We have been in the evangelism "business" since 2009 when Stephanie and I joined the Christian Motorcyclists Association. Yet, in all reality, we haven't discipled to many people in this ministry. That is certainly our fault and not the ministries fault. We have helped existing Christians grow their faith and that is a good thing. We love the relationship we have with the members of CMA and God has used to us to help them grow their faith. I love this ministry and always have. It is very unique in that its members GO OUT INTO THE WORLD, to share the love of Jesus. We share Jesus through service and an exceptional love for Bikers. But, we have done a poor job taking faithless bikers to the next level, to help them grow into disciples. 

We need to do a better job at that. Working events, serving others, showing them unconditional love is so important, but in the long run, we need to find those people who do not know Jesus and are open to learning more. We need to spend time with them and grow their heart for Jesus through the scriptures. 

This is what God is calling us to do:

            'Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them

     in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples

    to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always,

    even to the end of the age.”' Matthew 28:19-20 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/MAT.28.19-20

We are to GO, BAPTIZE, DISCIPLE, OBEY - We have been going. We have been discipling Christians, but God is calling Stephanie and I to spend more time making disciples of those that do not have a relationship with JESUS.  We are called to do this and must be obedient to his call. 

Here's to an adventurous 2022!

THE END?

The END, (Not really) - Part X

We picked up the truck at about 6pm. We made arrangements to drop off the rental truck after the office was closed. That was a relief. We filled up the truck with fuel and headed the 30 miles to get the Camper. We had called the towing company, paid the storage fee and were set to head out of Denver as it was getting dark. BUT, FIRST, I had some work to do on the camper. We had found out the camper had only brakes hooked up on one axle. The other two sets of brakes were not even hooked up at the factory. That was a big deal traveling through the mountains. While we were waiting at Chief Hosa Campground, I purchased the connectors and hooked up the other 4 brakes. BUT, I had no way of checking them until the truck was hooked up. We arrived at the storage yard and hooked up the truck. Before we pulled out, we tested the brakes. BOOM! They worked. We checked the air pressure in the tires and we were ready to head out onto Interstate 70 in Idaho Springs, Colorado. 

Let's back up. When we picked up the truck. Jeremiah warned us that FORD recommended 500 mile break-in before towing. Yet, he admitted, the warranty would be fine even if we did have a problem. He recommended getting an oil change and check for leaks after 500 miles. He was a little nervous about us NOT going through the usual test period, but knew we had a deadline. SO, we were off!

Leaving Idaho Springs was interesting. I was never more nervous about driving a vehicle in all my life. All I could think about was blowing up another motor!  I-70 East out of Idaho Springs is straight UP HILL followed by a steep downhill grade into Denver. I can't express my anxiety. I rarely do this, but I turned off the satellite radio and asked Steph to pray quietly. The truck towed well going up hill. It was slow but steady. I had my flashers on and stayed in the slow lane. I did have to pass an even slower truck but quickly got back into the truck lane as I crested the hill. Now came the 7% grade down into Denver. Part of my nerves were specifically auto-braking, down shifting that occurs when in Tow-haul mode. We believe it was this that caused the engine problems. I crested the hill going about 35mph.  That was the plan and even though it was very slow, I wanted to do everything to maintain that speed as long as possible. With 26,000 pounds coming down the hill, I naturally picked up speed. I used a little brake and the engine did the rest. Traffic was crazy busy as we were in the middle of late rush hour leading into Denver. Trucks are supposed to maintain a 45mph speed limit.  That was really difficult to do. I edged up to 55mph but as we rounded the last turn into Denver, I realized I had made it.

We traveled outside of Denver and stopped to check the oil.  As I climbed under the truck, I could see it was a mess. There was oil everywhere. My delimna, was it like that before (I wish I would have checked) OR was there a problem? As I checked the oil, it looked good AND I assumed it was just from the RUSH OUT THE DOOR.  We stayed the night in a Walmart parking lot and begin early in the morning traveling through Kansas. I scheduled an oil change in Salina. We stopped and got permission from Walmart to unhook the Fifth Wheel. Steph shopped for food at Walmart while I went to get the oil changed. 

Everything was going great. The manager of the Oil Change shop was there. I explained what had happened and HE did our oil change, verified there were no leaks, and no metal in the oil. I was starting to relax.

As I got back to Walmart and began moving in the slides on the camper, One wouldn't budge. We were stuck once again. I had no idea what to do. So, we attempted to contact our warranty company to see what we needed to do to get someone to our location to fix our camper. Needless to say, my stress level was BACK UP. The warranty company was amazing. There technician took be through the error codes, taught me how to manually over ride the slide controller, and we were back on the road in a couple of hours.

We travelled through Missouri and stopped for the night. We got up early the next morning and made it home on Sunday afternoon.  We had to leave for the Boogie on Tuesday. We had time to load our supplies, get a LITTLE rest, and head out Tuesday morning. PRAISE GOD, he brought us home at just the right time!

The trip out west was now over. 

As I look back on our trip, I look back and can see the hand of God everywhere. The trip DID NOT GO AS PLANNED. Yet, God was good to us. He watched over us every step of the way. He protected us from harm and provided us with memories that will never be equalled in our life time. God does not ever guarantee a trouble free life. What he does guarantee is that he will walk with us through all things.

People in this world struggle with all sorts of calamity. Our trip was filled with adventure but I am not sure you can really call it CALAMITY. If you look at cancer, unexpected loss of life, financial ruin, lack of jobs, broken relationships, and a multitude of other REAL trials, the troubles on this trip are miniscule. God helped us complete a wonderful trip and some precious time with our granddaughter. We can't praise him enough for the blessings he has provided. I have also learned through this process to TRUST in the Lord more than ever before in my life. He has brought me through so much. Why would I ever doubt that protection and love?  

PRAISE GOD FOR A WONDERFUL TRIP.

I will continue writing about our first year of retirement. I love sharing what God has done for us. I get so excited reviewing all he does for us. God brought us back from the TRIP and helped us to get to the BOOGIE on time. We had such a great time there watching Gods hand at work. We went to Sturgis after that, then Ecuador, and winter in Florida. I can't wait to share THOSE adventures!