One year, One year ago today

One year ago today...

A Reflection of God's Faithfulness

My Cup Runneth Over

I recall pulling out of Brewers Glynn neighborhood the night before moving saying one last goodbye. With a broken voice in between sniffling saying  "Lord this has got to be a big work you have ahead, this is going to be big....just got to be, its just got to be" clenching my steering wheel trying to drive with tears filling up in my eyes.

pouring out, filling up, pouring out, filling up

 the cup remains full

reading scripture, praying, serving...... 

Today,  I am celebrating at least 7 lives that have been changed for eternity and many special friendships that have begun.  God is faithful and I am in awe of His plan as my cup runneth over with His goodness. It is a privilege to be part of God's work in PA.  Too much even to sum up, however it certainly has been and continues to be much pruning & growing, many heartaches, and many celebrations.

pouring out, filling up, pouring out, filling up

My cup runneth over

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably

more than all we ask or imagine,

  according to his power that is at

 work within us, Ephesians 3:20

Here is the link to the post the week we moved to PA one year ago here

Celebration of a Life That is Changed!

On Palm Sunday we had a fantastic celebration service at Redeeming Grace Church. I am excited for my friend who was baptized along with a neighbor and Elijah, the Shay's son.  There is no way to adequately explain God's faithfulness in the details with how these lives were changed. 
To see God's faithfulness in our lives is overwhelming to me.  It was only a few short weeks ago that my friend and I met and began conversations about life.  She began coming to Bible Study on Sunday nights and soon after professed Jesus as her Savior and Lord.  She has quickly become a dear friend and I am so excited to walk along this journey with her.  Isaac, our neighbor who was baptized has been a faithful attender of our weekly bible study since the very beginning.  He has become a fixture at our house and has adopted us as his second home even though all the boys bounce back and forth from his house and ours.  He asked Jesus to be his savior a few weeks ago after a bible study one Sunday and immediately wanted to get baptized.  So here are  a few clips and pictures from the baptism service.

We are so thankful for our new brothers and sister in Christ. The first step of obedience for a person who accepts Jesus as Savior is Baptism.  Baptism is a rich symbol, publicly proclaiming the decision made to accept Jesus Christ as Savior.  The water is not what saves the person, but is a symbol of what has been done in the heart and an important way of professing one's faith in Christ.   Romans 6:3-4 says, "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."
Salvation is a gift of God, not something we can achieve on our own. (Romans 12:3). Baptism is a gift to the Church to allow the faithful a means of expressing their faith and gratitude for God's redemptive work.  Baptism is a walk of obedience to Christ after accepting the free gift of Salvation. As Jesus was baptized by John in the River Jordan, we follow Jesus' example when we accept the Lord as our Savior.
Matthew 28:19-20 "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Cross references:

1. Romans 6:3 : Matt 28:19
2. Romans 6:3 : Acts 2:38; 8:16; 19:5; Gal 3:27
3. Romans 6:4 : Col 2:12
4. Romans 6:4 : Acts 2:24; Rom 6:9
5. Romans 6:4 : John 11:40; 2 Cor 13:4
6. Romans 6:4 : Rom 7:6; 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15; Eph 4:23f; Col 3:10

Running the water hose for the baptistery

All hands on deck getting set up!

The Camp Curtin YMCA gym being transformed into church.

Here is a shot of the friends and family who showed up to celebrate along with us. As I look at all the precious people the Lord has woven in our lives I just don't have words to express the depth of joy it brings. We pray our bible study groups will continue to grow so we can soon gather together for worship each week. God is faithful.

Billy is introducing the gang and explaining Baptism. God is faithful.

These two young ladies blessed our time of worship with song.  Their hearts are so tender and are pursuing the Lord. God is faithful.

Pizza and hanging out after the service. God is faithful.

It is privilege to have all these ladies as neighbors. God is faithful.

The crew with the pastors. God is faithful.

While the lives being changed are personal and the connections are deep for both us and the Shays, we are excited about how God is building His church here in Harrisburg.  It is impossible for both our our families to separate life and ministry and for that we are all thankful.  God is faithful in the lives of all the people we have met and we are excited to watch His faithfulness continue as lives are changed for His glory.

Comfy Old Jeep

Today I was pondering the thought of an "open book" as we walk through this process of moving for the sake of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not an easy thing to lay yourself wide open sharing the strugglesof daily life, however it's awesome to see how God can and will provide opportunities for His name to be glorified in the midst of our lives.

I was sharing a story with my sister yesterday of an example of how difficult change is but how struggling through it can reap personal growth and excitment.  A few months ago in the midst of our conversations about moving, the transmission went out in my van. It took a few weeks for the van to be repaired so during those weeks I drove Billy's Jeep.

On the outide the Jeep appears to be functional and efficient. It cleans up well and it doesnt have any dents, rust or major damage, however, the inside is another story.  Every button in the jeep does something it shouldn't, the ignition switch is broken but it works when you yank it a certain way, the air is tricky you may get hot,cold or no air, the window doesn't roll down on one side, and not to mention you may get a little wet if it rains because the sunroof leaks.  In those few weeks of driving the beat up old Jeep I settled in and got used to all the hangups.  I actually started to enjoy driving it.

Finally,  Billy suprised me by pulling my nice, clean, repaired van into the driveway, Shortly after he got home I had to run a quick errand and I didn't jump into the van but the Jeep!  As I drove to the store being comfortable in what may not be the best option,  it occured to me that God has a plan and perhaps, I had struggled with change and being "comfortable."  Had I allowed my own comfort level to cause me to miss out on something better? It takes faith to do something that you can't predict or plan for.  There are a lot of unknowns and even unforseen outcomes. How many times do we let our comfort level interfere with how we grow by preventing us from being vulnerable to the unknown?

Would we rather settle for less than what God has to offer because we are comfortable where we are?  Or are we even like that Jeep in the fact that on the outside we look pretty good but on the inside we are disorganized, discontent and dissatisfied?  A personal relationship with the one who Created us is the only way we can get out of our comfort zone with the assurance that the unknown and the future is far more than we can even imagine.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11