As I looked back at what I'd written last year about this verse (I only did it for a few weeks... yes, I started ANOTHER thing I didn't finish) I had to smile at how "in the dark" Mike and I really were about our future.  We had NO idea what we would be doing or where the road would take us.  Since then, we've had some answers to some of our questions... but for the most part, we have a lot of unanswered things.

We went to the Assessment Center for potential church planters last January with MANY questions... and from there, we got the answer that church planting would be a "good fit" for us.  We needed more training in ministry and we questioned where that would be... and The Journey North Community Church (a church plant itself) found us and answered by asking us to come there (where we're currently serving, learning and preparing for our church plant)... But that's pretty much where the answers ended.

While we know we're going to plant a church... we have no idea where that will be.  We have a couple of places in mind, but God hasn't made it clear yet and so... we're waiting.  We fasted for ten days a few months back, praying over 10 cities in Minnesota that we'd been given to choose from.  A couple stood out (for whatever reason) and we even took the kids to have a picnic to those places to see what they were like... but when the ten days were over, the only real thing we'd done is narrow the original ten down.

Trust Me...

I gotta be honest here... I was disappointed.  I thought for sure that God was going to tell us where we were to plant HIS church.  We had 10 people that committed to praying (and fasting) for us in this very important decision and we took it seriously.  I mean, I fasted, so certainly God should honor that with an answer, right?  (smirk)  The ten prayer warriors called and asked what city we'd chosen... we didn't know.  How embarrassing...

Trust Me...

We've been fund raising (a whole other story) and it's only "logical" for them to ask... "Where are you going to plant?"  How logical is the response we give, "We're going to go where God tells us..."  Come on... I know it sounds crazy and I'm sure some think, "well, that's nice... why don't you come back and talk to me when you've picked a city cuz right now you sound like a fruitcake."  (my interpretation italicized)  

Trust Me... why do you worry about what others think?  They are not giving you their money... it's all Mine.

And so we've had some really tough and uncertain months... and we didn't know how Mike would drive to work with the price of gas (for awhile there)...

Trust Me...

... and then a family called and told us they wanted to give us their car (with great gas mileage) for the year that Mike was driving to Brainerd (35 miles away).

There have been times when we didn't have enough food to make one complete meal for our family...

Trust Me...

... and then someone would bring us groceries, or once we even got an anonymous envelope with four $100 gift cards to Cub foods and it was signed, "From the Lord".

And Christmas was coming again with nothing to spare...

Trust Me...

... and people gave us gift certificates, cash (some anonymously), "practical, every day items" (in totes I could use again even), bikes for my older kids and toys for the younger ones, a retreat for Mike and a day at the spa for me and when it was all said and done... we'd received more than we'd EVER had and were overwhelmed.

And after all that, I still struggled with the fact that we didn't know where we were planting... not because I was worried about it... but that we had to continue to raise money for the church plant, and all I kept asking the Lord was, "how will people support this vision when we don't even know where it is?"

Trust Me...