Have you ever heard your Father ask you that question? I did. I vividly remember in June of this year the Lord said many times, "Do you trust Me?" At first it was for Sonshine School. We were going to lose three very good teachers to retirement and other job relocations. The second wave came during the week that our friend Kinley Adams was missing. That same week a good friend of mine died in a freak accident. God once again asked me that question, "Do you trust Me?" I always said yes, but honestly, it was mostly in my head and not my heart.
Two more waves came through by the end of the summer. Each prompting a deep struggle with the same question, "Do you trust Me?"
One day on a prayer walk down town, I reflected back on a journey we began as a church. It was called Set Free. We said in January 2013, "It was not about paying off the debt, but it was about growing our faith." The vehicle God was going to use to grow our faith was paying off the mortgage we owed on our facility. Little did I realize God had many vehicles He was going to use to grow my faith.
Our church walked the painful but joyous realization that Kinley was climbing mountains in heaven. My friend Henry left behind his family (wife and four young kids) as did Kinley, to struggle with loss and hope. In each case I witnessed people of courage and faith answering yes to that question, "Do you trust Me?" None of us got the answer we wanted but we trusted. In each case I heard family members affirm the goodness of God. They trusted.
As we pressed toward the fall, I could see something different happening with Sonshine. We got three new, but very experienced teachers. Each of them coming to us in different but very God ordained ways. But the shock to me was the number of students. We began our school year 25% above last years numbers. There is a buzz around the school that is significant. Our new website (www.sonshinechristianschool.com) is like our school, it feels like a new day has arrived.
Set Free? Glad you asked. We are less than $75,000 from being SET FREE. It's been seven months on this journey. Multiple struggles, multiple challenges, all asking the same question, "Do you trust Me?" We asked the Lord to grow our faith. That is what we prayed for and God said, "I will." Get ready for the burning of the note. It's just around the corner.
First Baptist website: www.fbcsalem.org
to respond to this email: fbc@fbcsalem.org
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