“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” Ephesians 1:4-5, NIV
Hey Friends,
This is an update of sorts, and I’d like to ask for your prayers. After deciding to discontinue the Mantua Creek church plant in December, Pam and I have been seeking God about what my next season should look like vocationally. Thankfully, I’m an excellent finish carpenter and this skill– and the demand for it– has served me well during different transitions over the years. Besides providing for us financially, it allows me to wait for the right opportunity.
I have enjoyed being in the EPC and it continues to be a good fit. There are, however, no current EPC-specific opportunities close to us geographically. As I have long championed the research that shows the home as the primary conduit for passing on the faith, we have no desire to live further than an hour from our children and eight grandchildren. Everybody’s situation is different but, barring God’s clear direction to the contrary, proximity to family is the first of several reasons we don’t want to move at this time (BTW, that’s Pam and Caedmon in the pic above).
This being the case, do I look for a local chaplaincy position or something in non-profit leadership? Do I grow the carpentry business, taking more select and better opportunities to keep things sustainable? What will allow me to get back to and continue a regular rhythm of writing? How do I best maintain my EPC credentials or continue to move the “carpenter-theologian” brand and ministry opportunities forward? Open to any out-of-the-box ideas and God’s surprises, these are some of the questions I’m wrestling with while we actively wait. Would you pray with me for God’s wisdom, provision, and clear guidance?
I thank you in advance and as you pray for me, yourself, and others, I hope this devotional thought from Henri Nouwen provides you with the same powerful reminder it did me last week:
“Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, ‘Prove that you are a good person.’ Another voice says, “You’d better be ashamed of yourself.” There also is a voice that says, ‘Nobody really cares about you,’ and one that says, ‘Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful.’ But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong desire to listen. That’s what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us ‘my Beloved.'” Faith That Matters: 365 Devotions from Classic Christian Leaders, (HarperOne: 2018), 77.
Have a great week and if you have a moment, please drop me a note. I would especially love hearing from you at this time.
Gratefully,
Greg