(left) Faith leads the way as the Cox kids explore Narnia -- I mean snowy Canterbury -- with their faithful dog, Aslan. (center) Brittany sits down on her throne, where she is surrounded with adoring sycophants. (right) Faith collapses from exhaustion after a long "forced march" through the snow.
Get Matched!
No, I'm not talking about dimensions of compatibility, and it won't have anything to do with finding your soul mate.
We've had a donor come forward, who was so moved by the success of our matching grant, that they wanted to do something that powerful to help move our monthly funds forward.
We've shared with many of you before the critical importance of reaching 90% in our monthly funding. That's the magic line in the sand where suddenly we can set a final date and buy plane tickets. For months, we've been terribly close to that mark, but unable to make any significant headway. But we can feel the wind changing. This donor has volunteered to match up to $400 in new monthly commitments for two full years! That means your new monthly commitment or increase goes twice as far.
Why is this so big? Because if we can match this $400, we can set THE date and buy plane tickets! We hope you'll share in our excitement, and tell everyone you know about this incredible opportunity to join our team.
Today's Ministry
We're not the first people God has called into ministry who took some time getting there. Many prominent figures in scripture had an extended time of preparation before their ministries began. Moses spent 40 years tending sheep in Midian before he got the green light to fulfill his call in Egypt. Even Christ, who was perfect, spent a lot more time preparing for ministry than he actually spent doing his public ministry. However, scripture tells us that Christ did far more things than are recorded (John 21:25). Who is to say what impact he lived out before his public ministry began?
God's road can be short or long, and it depends on many more factors than we know. However, we have gotten to see God working in our lives to prepare us. More than that, though, we've had some opportunities to see God working through us. A few years ago, I never would have imagined my shy, introverted wife risking herself in the way she has been working on the devotional for International Bible Society's Hope for the Future bible, or counseling young women. Brittany's impact was perhaps more predictable, although I am still stunned to hear about her writing notes to needy high school girls about the man who really loves them perfectly, Jesus. (continued in sidebar)
