Genesis 12:1 & 4

"The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and you father's house to the land that I will show you. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him...." Abram was not told much of his future - only that through his obedience God would bless him and bless others through him. Without hesitation he followed and received great reward for his faith.

I knew from the beginning of all this that God would lead me here without fully revealing His plan or the tasks I would perform. Still, it was easy to speculate and put God in the box of the familiar. I came here to find that God intends to stretch me. The needs here are somewhat different than I expected, but there is important work to do. I had anticipated being used as worship leader and to find and build a team. God is way ahead of me. The ANCF has recently been blessed with a young man to lead the praise team. His heart is for service, and I am excited to serve with him.

My purpose here is to be a resource and advisor, and this freedom opens the door for some other things. Pastor Paul mentioned other areas of need including teaching English to the church staff, leading the English children's worship and building relationships with the foreign nationals in and around the church. We will be exploring those ideas this week.

Here's the exciting news. My initial housing plan fell through and I'm staying with Jamie Van Dyck for the time being. Today in the Korean worship service, Pastor Jung of the mother church introduced me and talked about my calling here. He also mentioned the housing need. After worship, a Korean gentleman came up and spoke to us. He and his wife are going away for training and need someone to stay in their apartment. They will be gone 3 months! Also, the apartment is located in the same housing complex where many of the foreign nationals from the ANCF live. Only God can do that!!

When I came here, I had plans. God said, "That's nice. Now, here's what you're going to do." Already I've experienced some apprehension. As Todd said Sunday, I don't like anything that messes with my plan. I had certain things I wanted to accomplish, but wondered if it was going to be possible. In the Korean worship this morning, God refocused me. Through the Korean praise team, God once again opened my eyes to His overwhelming presence. And as we sang, "Draw Me Close" I could heard His voice clearly say, "Be faithful to me, and I will give you the desires of your heart."

Draw me close to you
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear you say that I'm your friend

You are my desire
No one else will do
'Cause nothing else can take your place
To feel the warmth of your embrace
Help me find the way
Lead me back to You

You're all I want
You're all I ever needed
You're all I want
Help me know you are near