Scuttle the Ships

It is now popular legend that the great explorer Hernan Cortes, after landing in Veracruz, Mexico, burned his ships so that he and his crew wouldn't have a way of escaping almost certain hardship in the new world.  With a little research you will find that he didn't actually burn his ships, but he did have the crew strip them of everything that was of value and later sunk them.  Regardless of how it happened, we know that his ships were destroyed and he and his crew stayed in their new land.

This week, we scuttled the ship.  Our house in Huffman finally sold and closed, and the last remaining thing in Texas that was ours is now in the hands of another family.  The Lord provided for this to happen, and it couldn't have come at a better time.  While we look back with fondness, we look forward to what is ahead.  But we cannot go back and make things the way they were in the past.  Praise the Lord!

The Arrow of the Lord
I sometimes fear that those of you reading this blog think that we are somehow special and brave and different, thinking that these qualities are inherent to who we are.  I can tell you they are not, and there was a shining example of that in me this week on Thursday.  I only share these things with you because I want everyone who reads this to know that, at times, my true nature shines through.  It is important that you know that because when you see good things in me and Amanda, those are of the Lord!  In all of His goodness He chooses to shine through us when we will allow it.  He will do the same for anyone who will surrender to Him.

I was having one of my "doubting days," where I begin questioning what is happening to us.  It started early in the morning when I didn't spend as much time as I usually do praying and reading God's word.  When the day starts that way it never ends well.  I didn't have a particularly good day at work either.  I have had to adjust to the role of being in virtual obscurity in my new job, which is a gigantic shift away from being front and center at Summer Creek.  When you begin a new job you always have to find your place, and I have been going through the usual motions of trying to find mine.  I came home from work upset about the way things have been and began my usual line of questioning.  Why were we here?  What was today about since nothing seemed to happen on the spiritual front?  When were we going to have our new house and finally settle?  What am I supposed to be doing right now?  In these moments I tend to look back at the way things were in Texas with a degree of fondness and sometimes sadness.  It wasn't easy walking away from all of that.  Could we have stayed?  Should we have stayed?  Were we wrong to come here to Washington?  What difference could we make here anyway?

Fortunately I have a great wife who listens and gives pep talks to me during these times.  She and I alternate in our bad days and the other one is usually there to pick the grumbling person up.  That's a perfect example of how God made "the two become one flesh."  She listened to me complain that night and did everything she could to pick me up from the gutter.  After a while we just had to let it all go and watched some TV to distract us.

Friday morning the Lord had quite a message for me that I needed to hear first thing this morning.  As I usually do before starting my quiet time, I prayed that the Holy Spirit would speak clearly and that I'd hear and understand.  Here's what He said: 

^{Psalm 55:}

²² Give your burdens to the Lord,
    and he will take care of you.
    He will not permit the godly to slip and fall

]Isaiah 55

 “Is anyone thirsty?
    Come and drink—
    even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
    it’s all free!
² Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
    Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
    You will enjoy the finest food.

³ “Come to me with your ears wide open.
    Listen, and you will find life.

John 7:38

³⁸ Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”^[a]

<sup>The message that morning was so clear and consistent.  Come to me.  I'm all you need.  You'll have as much as you want if you will just come to me and seek.

I need to stress that these three passages were read in sequence that morning and are not part of any Bible study plan, book, or anything else.  I just happened to be at these places on that morning.

I have also been reading an outstanding book by Alan Redpath called The Making of a Man of God which is all about how God made King David into what He described as "a man after my own heart."  We tend to examine the results of what God did in David's life and declare that he was an outstanding leader and human being, passionate for the Lord.  However, we forget that the Lord did many things before David became king to make him into what he was supposed to be.  It didn't just happen, and while David did have good qualities, the Lord had to refine them.  

In Chapter 6 of the book the author recounts the story from 1 Samuel 20 where David is having to stay away from King Saul for fear of being killed.  Remember that at this point in his life David had already been declared as the future king of Israel by the prophet Samuel, but he had endured years of obscurity and harassment by a jealous Saul. David goes to his best friend Jonathan (Saul's son) and expresses frustration and doubt at his situation.  He's likely tired and worried about being killed and decides not to attend a dinner with Saul and his family.  Jonathan was to report whether Saul was okay with the absence or not by coming to a field that David would be hiding in and pretending to shoot some arrows with a little boy.  If the arrow landed near where David was hiding, all was well and David could return home.  If the arrow flew over his head and far away, the Lord was sending him away.  

If you read the story you will see that Saul was so enraged by David's absence that he attempted to spear his own son Jonathan to a wall just for telling him where David was.  So, Jonathan came to the field with the little boy and shot the arrow far beyond where David was hiding.  The Lord's will was clear, and David's job was to go.

While we go through days of uncertainty here, I always come back to some fundamental things about us being here.</sup> 
 

1.  The arrow flew over our heads, and we were supposed to leave.  The Lord cleared the path for us to go and even picked a specific city in Washington for us.

2.  The Lord has never abandoned us here.  He has provided for all of our needs and His presence has been increasing in the life of our family.  It hasn't always been comfortable, but He is here.

3.  The Lord has repeatedly told us to "hold on" for a little while before the ministry starts.  He hasn't said "no" to it happening;  He has just said "wait." 

Since that Friday morning where God's voice thundered in my heart, He has finally given me some details regarding His vision for our ministry here, which I will include in the next post.  It was so clear and so exciting that Amanda and I literally can't wait to get started.

So this hopefully gives you an account of me in "all of my glory" and in the Lord, in all of His.  It is my sincere hope and prayer that those who read these words may be encouraged by the fact that this God can and will work in your life in exactly the same way, though you are probably like me in being broken, impatient, and lacking.  Trouble and hardship don't necessarily mean you are moving in the wrong direction!  Waiting doesn't mean that the Lord has abandoned you or that you went the wrong way!  Stillness doesn't mean you are on your own!

³⁷ On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! ³⁸ Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”^{[e] 39} (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given,^[f] because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

Encounters

Sunday I finally got to speak to an older gentleman named Alexander who begs for money on a street corner near our apartment.  He is probably in his 70's and is regularly on this corner, rain or shine, with a cane and a simple cardboard sign which says "Help Me Please."  I gathered some food, a grocery store gift card, and a Bible and went to speak with him.  It turns out that he is Ukrainian and has been in the United States for a few years.  His English was very broken, but I learned that he lives on $200 a month from Social Security.  He does have a house and a car, but clearly doesn't have enough to live on.  I asked him if he knew the Lord and he told me that he does believe in God and attends a Russian church in the area.  He was truly overjoyed at receiving the gift card and we prayed together before I left.  What an experience to pray in English while he prayed at the same time in Ukrainian!  How beautiful that the Lord hears both of us!

As I went back to my car I looked back a couple of times to see him smiling ear to ear and waving to me.  It is possible that the Lord used this moment in a manner similar to my encounter with Him on Friday?   Perhaps the man was reminded that He is still present and hasn't forgotten, that the source of all Love is still present.  Regardless, it is a reminder to me and hopefully to you that our job while here on earth is to 

Matthew 22:37-39

³⁷ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’^{[a] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’<sup>[b]

Who can you show love to this week in the name of Jesus?  What would the Lord have you do this week in His name?</sup>

A New Title

This week has been a further plunge into the culture of Seattle and the surrounding area.  It began with a birthday party for a friend that our boys have made through church.  It was held at a local swimming pool.  Yes, you read that correctly, but swimming pools here aren't like those from Texas.  Most pools are indoors here because it is so cold year around, and on this night that was especially good since it was 38 degrees outside!  This one had the look of a typical "splash pad" in Texas except that it was entirely indoors and climate controlled.  The boys had a blast.

 

On Sunday we spent the afternoon at a friend's house watching the Seahawks demolish the Denver Broncos.  The city was absolutely on fire for the Seahawks in the week leading up to the event, and it went even crazier once they won.  Seattle hasn't had a championship team in any major sport since the Seattle Supersonics won the championship in 1979.  That's a long drought.  Over 700,000 turned out for the victory parade on Wednesday, and that's more than the entire population of the city of Seattle!  Schools in the area deliberately let out and others openly said they'd accept excuses from families who wanted to take their kids to the parade.  School attendance laws here are much more lax than back at home, so any "cultural event" can be an excused absence for a student.  Many took advantage of this opportunity, with everyone from radio announcers to TV anchors stating that this was a "once in a lifetime event."  The city rallied around this team with a religious fervor!

 I continue to play with the boys at a park that is within walking distance from our apartment.  The field looks nice and tidy because the entire thing is made of field turf, the same artificial surface used by the NFL and college teams.  This prevents users from experiencing a muddy field.

 We also play in the skate park that is nearby.  We have a new game where the people on the rim try to peg the people at the bottom with a ball.  This is a distinctly boy game.

What the Lord has been doing

Last Sunday I had a strong sense that I needed to hit the streets in an attempt to go share Christ with some more homeless people on the streets nearby our house.  I packed up a backpack and some water bottles, Bibles, and some food, and enthusiastically hit the streets and prayed all the way.  On a normal day you would encounter multiple homeless individuals on a walk such as this, but on this day, I encountered NOBODY.  Not a soul was out apart from the occasional jogger.  I was dejected at first because I so badly wanted to work on the Lord's behalf, but the Lord quickly turned my thinking.  He made it clear as I walked and prayed that He simply wanted me to spend some time with him, alone.  Can you believe that?  The God of the universe wanted some time with me, a nobody!  Once He had my attention I prayed and walked some more, this time more at peace.

Around mid-week I got up for my usual quiet time prior to work.  I had experienced a lot of discouragement over the prior couple of days due to my own questioning of myself regarding what degree of influence I was having on this culture.  I really became frustrated with things that were going on around me and was wondering how I would ever be able to work for the Lord.  He drew me to 1 Corinthians 13, one of the best passages in the Bible and one that is most often read at weddings.

13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. ³ If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;^[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

As I hit my knees to pray, His voice spoke to me in that same clear-as-a-bell way that He has done so many times.  This time, He said "Love these people.  That's all you need to do."  I was stunned and overjoyed at the same time.  I had my marching orders and they were crystal clear.  I must show love to everyone that I encounter here.  In small acts and large ones, always love in the way that Jesus loves.

As if the message were not clear enough already, I got to prepare to teach at our church plant this week on John Chapter 6.  In this passage, Jesus says the following after feeding the 5,000:

⁶ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. ²⁷ But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man^[f] can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”
²⁸ They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”
²⁹ Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

This group of people was more concerned about food than about meeting the Lord.  They were more interested in physical food than they were in spiritual nourishment from the Lord.  And look at what he says in vs 29 after they state that they "want to perform God's works, too."  He says quite simply that their work is to believe in the one he has sent.  That's it.  That's the thing we have to do, and at this moment in our lives, He has asked me to do this thing only.  

I am convinced that the Lord will allow things to break free once we are moved in at our new house, but right now He just wants me, and he wants me to desire Him.  Incredible thought, isn't it?  There isn't anything else we are supposed to do now other than to love Him, and to love people.  It just so happens that these are the two greatest commandments according to Jesus himself.

Preaching

I have had many titles in my adult life.  Teacher, counselor, mentor, coordinator, associate principal, etc.  Today I received a new title, and this one is one that I still shake my head about in wonder.  

Pastor Paul.  Pastor Paul Edwards.  

I was asked on Friday to come deliver a sermon to a small country church in Oso, Washington, a community nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains about an hour northeast of Everett.  I excitedly started preparing for this and spent quite a lot of time writing out all of the points I planned on making.  Probably the best preparation I could make, though, came when I sent texts to some prayer partners of mine who are all close friends.  I asked them to pray for me as I spoke on Sunday.  I also spent some good time in the Lord's presence asking that He use me.

I actually managed to sleep for the entire night on Saturday (I was shocked) and woke up at the comfortable hour of 7AM.  My first inclination was to go to God's word and read and prepare for the sermon some more, but the Holy Spirit pushed me hard to get on my knees and go directly to Him.  So I did.  I have come to realize that while I can initiate many things on behalf of the Lord, if He is not in them, they ultimately come to nothing.  I asked Him to speak through me in any way that He saw fit.

Since we had experienced a surprise snowstorm last night, the roads were under packed snow for the entire way up to the church  We again experienced the utter majesty of God's creation the entire way there but managed to arrive early.

The church was a real gem, and that is because of the brothers and sisters in Christ that we were able to meet while there.  We experienced a fellowship of very kind people who welcomed us with open arms, continually referring to me as Pastor Paul.  This church clearly has a heart for people as evidenced by their current plans to plant another church in the Camano Island area of Puget Sound.  They also have a genuine love for each other that is evident, tangible, and contagious!

 

The church building is over 100 years old.

 

The sermon went well as I preached on John 6, sprinkling in some of the things that the Lord has taught me recently about its practical and immediate meaning.  I was able to see my boys and my wife in the crowd, and one of the boys even took notes!  As I spoke, there were some things said that I had never planned to say, and there were other things that I planned to say that I did not say.  I believe the Lord said exactly what He wanted to say, and I just happened to be His vessel.  What an honor!  I had several people approach at the end who related to me how the Lord had spoken to them and what they were currently dealing with that related exactly to the message from the passage. Praise the Lord for this!  An answered prayer!

As you approach this week, soak in the truth that the Savior wants a relationship with you.  If you are striving hard to do things on his behalf and nothing seems to be working, stop and go to Him.  Jesus said that believing in Him is the work He wants us to do.  Will you still produce good fruit as a result?  Absolutely.  But it is imperative that you go to the source of living water first so that this living water can flow from you to other people.  Rest in His love and love those that he brings you into contact with.  

1 John 4:10

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

An Unexpected Vacation, and the House!

I'd like to start by begging your indulgence for just a little more time.  I realize that I've posted a lot about what is going on specific to our family during our move to Everett.  I will openly state that the intent of this blog is simply to shed light on what God is doing in and through our lives.  That's it.  This site is not dedicated to us or to making us look a certain way.  That being said, I've been told by numerous church planters that before your ministry starts, God does His work on you.  We have certainly experienced that since August of 2013 and God has had many hard lessons for us.  But He knew we needed these lessons now.  It is my prayer that in our running account His name would be made great.

Last weekend Amanda and I got an unexpected vacation as our boys were all whisked away to the mountains east of us to go to Blizzard Camp, an event that Everett Family Church participates in along with some other churches in the area.  The camp is hosted at a ranch in the Cascade range and is typically known for lots of time playing in the very-deep snow.  This year was different because that region has had very little snow, but the boys went over the weekend to play games, learn about Jesus, and sing silly songs with a bunch of other kids.

The final moments of Blizzard Camp.  Many silly songs were sung by over 100 kids who attended.
 
Amanda and I spent the day last Saturday walking around downtown Everett and the surrounding communities for the purpose of prayer walking and seeing the area.  We enjoyed a quiet breakfast and a picnic lunch in the park finished by dessert at a downtown bakery.  God provided an absolutely magnificent day and we thoroughly enjoyed His presence as we walked, talked, and prayed.

The view from a park looking due south.  This is the sun at high noon!  Notice how low it is on the horizon.  Days during the winter are only 8 hours long, and the sun never gets directly overhead since we are so far north.

 A view looking west at Puget Sound from Grand Avenue in Everett.  The Olympic Mountain Range is in the distance.

Since the weather was nice on Saturday, EVERYONE decided to get their car washed.  The line backed up into the street.
 
We had made an agreement with each other a couple of weeks ago that we weren't going to actively look for a house until our Huffman house closes.   We didn't want to endure the heartache of seeing house after house sell as we continued to live in our apartment.  However, each weekend since then we have seen open houses around town that we decided to look at on a whim.  That happened again on Saturday, and we went to see an unbelievable house just blocks from downtown.  When we went into it, we were in awe.  Great kitchen, great views of everything (it is on a hill), plenty of rooms and bedrooms for our family and ministry needs.  We were united in our attraction to the place, and that is the first time that has happened here.

I decided to ask our real estate agent about whether we could put in an offer since we have a contract and closing date set on our house in Huffman.  To my surprise (I am clueless when it comes to real estate), he said we could and that many sellers are comfortable with such contracts.  Something told us to pursue it, so we did at the beginning of the week.

During the waiting period this week, I really began questioning myself.  Was I just in awe of another man-made thing?  Was I in love with something of this world?  Did God want us to have a place that nice?  I really wrestled with this for days and was a bit sad about it.  I just don't trust myself in this area.  The Lord had us wait for the entire week to hear back from the homeowner, which again seemed to be His purpose as He wanted us to speak to Him about it.

Fortunately the Lord sometimes chooses to speak through friends.  I talked to Chip, one of my closest friends in this life, about the situation.  He didn't hesitate and said something that really hit me.  "Paul, don't just assume that God is going to give you something less than what you had."  I was floored.  When I began thinking about it, I realized that I was assuming that God would give us less than we had before.  I was okay with it and had just attributed it to being part of this mission we have been asked to go on.

I also spoke to Mike, our home inspector and pastor of Everett Family Church.  I shared my concerns with him as well, particularly focusing on my concern that our family be planted exactly where we are supposed to be in this city.  Mike's comment was pretty simple but equally powerful.  He told me that many times the Lord isn't concerned as much about exactly where you wind up as long as your heart is following after Him first.  That aligned with what Pastor Barry back at home told us about moving here.  He reminded me that the need is everywhere...it really doesn't matter where we wind up since clearly the Lord was leading us to this city.

Is it possible that the Lord would have us give up our "dream house" in Huffman only to give us something better?  Well...yes.  Now I need to state off the bat that I don't believe in the so-called "prosperity gospel" that some churches teach.  I do not believe that the Lord wants everyone to be rich or successful.  Too many verses in the Bible are taken out of context and used to support this false notion.  If God wanted these things for everyone, you need to explain away some of the lives of many people from scripture.

The Apostle Paul whom the Lord said would find out "how much he must suffer for my name." He was eventually imprisoned and executed.

Peter, who led the life of an evangelist only to be crucified upside down on a cross.

James, who was beheaded at the end of his ministry.

John, who was exiled to an island by himself at the end of his life.  In fact, he's the only one of Jesus's original disciples who died of natural causes.

Or perhaps we should look at John the Baptist, who lived and preached in the desert and ate wild locusts and honey, only to later be beheaded by an evil ruler.

Or we could talk about the prophet Elijah, Job, and Moses.

And yet when we look closely, we also see examples of people who were richly blessed simply because God decided to do that.  You can easily start with Solomon, who prayed above all things for wisdom.  Because the Lord was so pleased with what he asked for, he gave Solomon riches as well.  There is Abraham, who was given great wealth and power in his land over a long period of time. We also see Job, who had literally everything taken from him only to have the Lord give it all back and more in the end.  I even read about Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4:10 this morning who prayed:

 “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request. 

While many would seek to get prosperity for their own gain, I'd like to point out that the only reason these things were provided is because the Lord decided that He would allow it.  Yes they all prayed, and some of them were even people who followed the Lord, but the Lord decided.  We can't forget his sovereignty in this, and all situations.

So in the scheme of things, this house will provide for many, many needs.  For our family, it provides space for all of us so we are no longer on top of each other!  Some of the kids will share rooms that are large and carpeted and have 2 windows with a view!  There is a great kitchen for Amanda the chef.  Better yet, there is a large completed basement with several rooms that will be used for future ministry needs.  We can see having meetings with people there, hosting future church planting interns for free, or even providing a space for someone in need to live with us.  All this, and it is about 3 blocks out of downtown Everett, right where we are supposed to be.

But above all things, I need to point out the goodness of God.  We haven't done anything to deserve His favor or kindness, yet He chose to give it anyway.  He would be no less great if He decided not to give us this place.  Frankly, we are excited at His specific movement in our lives at this moment.  What a leader!  What a Savior!

We are praying for the Spirit's leading in how to best use His place.  Please join us in prayer for this house, ministry, and that the Lord would make His name great in the city of Everett.

Psalm 34
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
    for those who fear him will have all they need.
¹⁰ Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

Seahawk Update

It would be wrong for me to not address the electricity present in this city as a result of the Seahawks going to the Super Bowl!  This week at the Everett Boeing factory, the Seahawk 747 rolled off of the production line!  All 747's are built in Everett, and 2 are finished each month.  The Everett factory also produces the 767, 777, and the brand new 787.  Airplanes are a major facet of this community.

Our kids reported seeing the plane fly over their school this week.  It is built as a freight jet that Boeing is currently using for flight testing purposes.  It has been sighted over the city everywhere this week.

The flight path of the jet was even designed to be a number 12, symbolic of The 12th Man at Centurylink Stadium.  

While it is fun to watch the excitement surrounding the Seahawks, I have come to realize they are largely symbolic of the community pride that is present within Everett and Seattle.  People in Everett love the city and what it stands for.  I have detected a great deal of pride among residents simply because they live in this unique place.  Boeing has done a good job of capturing the excitement in the form of an airplane.