Tennessee

As some of you may already know, we may have an opportunity to move to Knoxville, TN to start a church. If you know much about us, you would probably think what we first though, "No way!" It was a really scary thought to think that we would be living a thousand miles away from our family, in a place we've never been and are completely unfamiliar with. We would miss our family first and foremost, but the little things like a New England winter, our lakes, the quiet and seclusive area we wanted to live in, all the things about living in New Hampshire.

This opportunity has come in a perfect time in our lives. We are not well-established in NH yet, we do not have young children, and both of our jobs are relatively move-able. The prospect of a fresh start sounds great to us, and with the opportunity of more work for Ben, and a better economy, we have to consider that maybe this is where we should be.

We decided to pray about it and see what kind of door God would open. The biggest thing for us, is work for Ben. Tennessee would provide another 3-4 months of outside work for Ben, and with the cost of living being significantly less than up here, we could own a house and start a family a lot sooner than we could up here. The job market in Knoxville is thriving and there a is a lot of development in the suburbs.

So far there is one other family that is committed to go to Tennessee, and there would have to be about 5 in order to have enough support to start a church. We are leaving this in God's hands, and we will follow His will, whatever that may be.

We would most likely not move to Tennessee permanently, we would always have the option of moving back to NH. However, if it is God's plan for us to live in TN, how can we argue?

Please pray for all of us involved that we are wise is decision-making, and that God opens doors and shuts them accordingly. Our big 'yes button' is a job for Ben. If we do end up officially having this opportunity, we will be looking for a job opportunity for Ben.

If we do leave for TN we will be going with church friends and family. While we will be without our families, we will have close friends that I'm sure we will grow even closer to. We would be working hard to do the Lord's work, and if that is where God wants us, I can't think of any place better to be. To God be the glory!

Left Behind

First things first, I am realizing that we do not have much to blog about yet, but I will do my best to find things to write about. With that said, I have just started reading the Left Behind Series. For a while now I have wanted to read them, having always been interested in the End Times and what will happen on the Earth once Christ raptures his flock. Not that it matters too much to us as Christians because we will not be here, but it still interests me greatly to know what God has in store for those that are left behind. So far the first book is great. I have seen the two movies that were made about the books, and they are not too far off. There is a lot of opinions where the Bible doesn't make things clear, like how everything will happen and so on and so forth, but I think it makes it more real to hear it in a storyline we as people can relate to.
It has made me think about things lately. If we as followers of Christ were raptured today, or tomorrow, how many people that I know that are close to me would be left behind? People that I care about and love so much would be here to endure the tribulation. While this might be their fault,that they did not repent when they should have, I can't help but feel sombered by the thought, "Can I do more?" "Should I say more?" Some of the people that matter most to me may not be saved. I know their salvation is not on my shoulders, and that God himself saves, and not us at all, but having said that, I am also called to be a whitness, to be sharing the gospel and to be making disciples of Christ. Am I using all I have to serve Him and to further His kingdom? Or could I be raptured tomorrow, leaving them behind, when they could have been serving Christ?