What are we doing here?

We returned to our home church shortly after coming home to North Carolina. We were glad to see our church family and they were so glad to see us.  Many of them had continued to support us even while we were serving other churches. Over a dozen of them came to visit us in Alabama in an effort to further the Gospel through our ministries. And more than that, often gave to our churches to ensure that kingdom building existed among their ministries.

You see, self focus often happens in churches. We begin to worry more about the disciples growing into mature Christians than converting the broken-hearted to a believer. It’s no one persons fault; it is our sin nature. We want the focus to be on us but is that Christ’s desire.

These in our home church wanted to follow God. Their church had been greatly blessed financially and they believed we were doing the work of the Lord in Alabama and entrusted us with their offerings. It is this trust and the belief of God’s calling upon our lives that continues to lead to one question... What are you doing here?

We were protecting our family from those that intended us harm.
We were allowing our church the opportunity to move forward.
We were returning to seminary because we must have been lacking.
We were being quiet and letting the Lord speak for us.
We were starting over.

That is what we thought we were doing here but that is not what we are doing here!

We are resting!
We are being renewed!
We are trusting God to guide our steps!
We are waiting patiently for our ministries to be restored!

I often wonder if they will ask another question. Very few have asked. I have had many responses to that question. You know the question, “ What Happened?”

Exactly what the Lord said would happen...


 16“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  17Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,  18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.  19When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.  20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  21Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,  23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 22and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  36And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.  39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 10 clearly states what would happen to those that we called and sent. They would be persecuted and need to flee a town. Yep, it happened. The only question now is where do we go next?