Moving forward....risks and all.

Finding out last Wednesday that my medical clearance was denied came as a huge shock. And having to not only deal with the disappointment of that news, but then being told that Isaak had to have our decision about whether or not we wanted to continue pursuing the Africa job by the very next day. Well shoot. Less than 24 hours later we had to make another major life decision....

move forward with the job and try to appeal the medical ruling knowing it could again be denied and Isaak would be going to Africa solo....

or....

throw in the towel. Reject the offer. Face whatever career consequences there may be. And move on.

That was some of the most intense 24 hours I've faced in a loooong time.

The pressure. The spiritual turmoil. The discouragement. The everything.

But then, Thursday came, and as I sat at my little kitchen table, praying and pouring over scripture, it all became very clear. No more uncertainty. Not a shred remained. I had my answer. I knew the direction I wanted to go.

The Lord had whispered crystal clear....

"So they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything, and followed Him."-Luke 5:11

"After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. 'Follow me,' Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed Him."-Luke 5:27-28

Everything. 

They.left.everything.

They surrendered it all. They sacrificed their careers, relationships, reputations, homes, everything familiar and comfortable.....

To follow Jesus. 

That is what Jesus requires. It's what He asked for then. It's what He asks for now. 

And by the grace of God that is what we are going to give Him. 

The costs are great. 

But we are willing to sacrifice everything we have, to follow Him. 

We are going to move forward with the Africa job....move forward with the dream that He placed in our hearts....risks and all. We are willing to surrender everything....including family unity, to follow Him. 

We are laying it all on the line. And praying fervently that in these next seven months God would show up in a mighty way and reverse that medical desicion and grant me clearance to join Isaak in Africa. We are praying for favor. Praying for that same kind of crazy favor that the Egyptians showed the Israelites as they were heading on out. 

Regret would of followed me till the day I died if I gave up now and asked Isaak to pass on this opportunity. 


We will NEVER know what God has in store for us...if we don't take a gigantic leap of faith.


There is no way for me to know if God woulda worked on my behalf and busted out a miracle and reversed the ruling....if we gave up. 

If we decided to play it safe.

Following Jesus isn't about playing it safe. It's about taking chances. It's about looking crazy to the world and not caring. 


Those disciples probably looked pretty freakin' crazy to their friends and families. Leaving everything behind, right then and there....to follow this Jesus guy?! Say what?! Have you gone mad?! What about your job? What about your family? What about it all? You have so much to lose?!

I can't imagine how they must have looked. I can't imagine what people must of said. But they didn't even hesitate. They just surrendered their lives. For Him. And what's even more crazy is that they had no idea who Jesus really even was. Not then. Not when they left if all. Not on the banks of the river. Not at his tax booth. They had just met Jesus. He was still new on the scene. They didn't know yet He was God, but something inside them told them to go anyways. And that was a big risk. I mean, Jesus coulda turned out to be a freak. He coulda turned out to be some false prophet. Or a thief. Or some totally mentally disturbed guy. I wonder if that crossed their minds? I wonder if they considered that? I wonder....

but whatever they were thinking at the time, they quickly decided that the risks in following Him....were worth it. It was worth the risk. 

And we have come to that same conclusion. We will move forward. We will lay our lives at His feet, as crazy as it may seem, because He's worth it. Because we DO know who He is. And anyone who willingly endures mockings and torture and deep betrayal over the splendor of the world, who chooses a cross over a crown, who chooses a nail over a throne, who willingly lays down His life for me....is worth the risks, and more.

We will not give up now. We will not close the door. We will move forward and surrender it all to Him...and wait and see. 

There's no faith in playing it safe. Sometimes following God is risky business. It's lonely. It requires you to make hard choices. He asks us to lay it all on the line regardless of what the world thinks. He wants us to lay down our batons and drummer hats and step out of the world's parade and take the road less traveled. Which can many times be the scarier road. The dark shadowy road through the back alleys where no one wants to step foot. 

Like in Nemo....had Marlin just swam through the trench...the dark and seemingly dangerous trench....he would of made it to a glorious stretch of ocean. But he took the road more traveled, the easier route, he played it safe...and well, got stung by some monstrous jelly fish. :~) 

"Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it."-Luke 17:33

"Jesus replied, 'What is impossible with men is possible with God.'"-Luke 18:27 

So....here's to not playing it safe. Here's to surrendering all we have. We are putting our hope in Him and placing our future in His capable hands....and standing in the promise that what is impossible for men, well, is down right easy for God.