Hello AllI know I haven't been around here long, but if you who I've spoken to remember, my husband and I recently moved to New Brunswick to help out with a church plant. Well, the Lord has suddenly changed that direction! A week ago Saturday we found out that the Pastor has been led of the Lord to step down from the Pastorate to pursue full time evangelism. His gift is definitely evangelism and he and his wife have been sensing for some time that this is what the Lord would have them to do. Due to the lack of more leadership and the dwindling numbers, the church plant will be folding and dispersing.In God's sovereignty He had us move down here in what has been basically a fully funded missions trip because we have had my husband's severance package to live on and it actually ran out two days before we got the news! My husband has been working since about a month after we moved here, so God has provided exactly what we have neded! His timing and provision are so perfect! The Pastor and his wife expressed that they could not have gotten through the summer nearly as easily without us being here, that they have been able to "relax" and not be constantly on the go for the first time in two years because they knew there were other people taking on some responsibility, and now we're here to help people transition into new churches--God's ways are amazing! During our time here we have been refreshed, renewed, revived, replenished, reawakened--and we have been able to use our gifts in so many different ways! It has been an amazing time, we've learned so very much, but alas, this retreat has come to an end and we must again enter the greater battle of living out the Truth in a typical North American church! We visited home for a wedding a few months ago, and we could hardly wait to get out of there because of the carnality of our old peers, but it appears that the Lord would have us to go back and serve there again. So, we're moving back to Ontario in a few weeks, and back to our old fellowship of believers. We have peace in our hearts that this is what the Lord would have us do, but I know that it is not going to be easy. The main thing will be in not only guarding against apathy and lower moral standards of many of our peers, but also in trying to build up those who are eager to learn and raise their standards but maybe struggling with fear of man about changing. There are some dynamics that have changed there however, that may open a door for ministry in a new way. So we'll be looking forward to seeing how God will use us there. I suppose the biggest ways to guard against falling into the lukewarmness of the majority of so-called believers is to never neglect personal time in the Word, in prayer, and to avoid spending very much time with those who would "pull us down" spiritually, and to be active in serving. Does anyone out there have any more suggestions? Any resources you know of that would be an encouragement? Any sermons here on sermonindex that would be helpful?Thanks for you help and guidance! Yours for His glory, Meghan
