the big fish EUROPEAN adventure?

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to tell you a couple of things and throw something out there. We got a call from a friend who heads up ministry trips in Germany every year. They have seen many healings and many more salivations. He invited me and Jon to consider being part of his worship team this year. It is still a ways away, but I would like my dearest friends to be praying for us as we make some huge decisions on weather to go, weather to take the kids, and most of all where the money is going to come from! Also pray for my mom as she is reading this right now having a heart attack!! lol.....figuratively!

Anyway, I wanted to share with you what happened after we got our measly paycheck and realized we were stuck in Podunk...oops I mean Tuscaloosa, AL. We made the painful, and it was actually physically painful, decision to put the repairs on my mom's credit card. So financially we are pretty much back where we started on this whole adventure; or at least it feels that way. During that time Jon and I were both questioning how well we heard from God, feeling like failures, and ready to give up on our dream of ministry and financial freedom. Then something interesting happened. I've tried to be very committed to blogging my dreams, and the next morning I was doing just that. I thought it was just another weird dream and had nothing to do with God speaking. However; as I wrote, a line jumped out at me and I felt the Holy Spirit urge me to reread what I just wrote. Below is the dream I was writing, I've put in bold the line that hit me:

I was in a very strange contest. I was on a team of other people about 7 or 8. It was made up of men, women, children, old, and young. We were also playing against other teams made up of various people. We were in a great banquet hall, each team sitting around a table. We were all dressed up and in the center of each table was a beautifully decorated and designed setting of food. All the food was in silver dished with silver serving spoons. There were several different kinds of food including hot dog wieners, lil' smokies, some kind of casserole with cheese, rolls, half a head of cabbage, turkey pot pie, chocolate bars, and vanilla bars. The referee, who was ornately dressed, told us to begin eating. Every person had to eat some of every item, and the group that finished all the food first or ate the most would win. I ate until I was stuffed and so did everyone else but we didn't seem to be making a dent. We discussed how it wasn't fair because some teams had more big men than we had. Suddenly the referee said to stop. Some groups continued because they wanted to win, but they were disqualified, because the contest was about following directions, not about winning each step. The next thing the referee told us was to pack for an overnight camping trip, but we had to have exact things, like a pink sleeping bag and so forth.

This has greatly encouraged me that we are doing the right thing even if sometimes it doesn't seem like we are winning. I realized that actually, it may never look like we are winning. None of us may ever look like we are winning. But winning, though extremely important in the worlds eyes, is not God's way. Look at Jesus. He DID NOT win. He was rejected, he was alone, he was hated, feared, and ultimately beaten and killed. No...I would say that is not winning. But he did follow directions. He didn't want to, because, well he was human too. But he followed God's will none the less. If he can do that, the least I can do is seek God's direction in my own life and live in a travel trailer and ask my mommy to burrow a couple grand. Yeah....not winning. So now that I know the rules of the game, life has become much more peaceful for me. I'm a better wife. I don't have to look perfect, act perfect and be the Proverbs 31 gal. I need to listen to God. I'm a better mom. I don't have to stay on schedule, fuss over every detail of school work and their life. I need to listen to God. I'm a better Christian. I don't have to follow a prescribed way of evangelism, worship like expected, or volunteer for every need. I need to listen to God.

So we listened and Jon called Pilot on Monday. They sent him to Kentucky a couple of hours later. They also worked out the missing invoices, we have a check coming next week, but the invoice guy felt so bad he offered us an advance. We also got invited to do something we have been waiting years to do which is go to Germany and ministry to one of the poorest and disregarded peoples in the world.

Pray for us to hear God and to follow directions. I pray for you, everyone who reads these next lines, that God's voice will become clear to you. That in the midst of this crazy, loud, and overwhelming world, His voice will be a beacon, unmistakable, and pure. I pray that when you hear that voice you will have the courage and strength to obey. That no matter what the cost, and no matter weather it means winning or losing, you will have the faith, wrapped in peace, to follow the directions.

Blessings,

Emily

p.s. if you want to read more of the dream, or others: www.emilysdreamblog.blotspot.com