What Now?
If you’ve read my past few blogs, you read about how I’m entering into a new season of life after twenty-three years of raising children. I really do like and embrace change. Change is exciting for me. But this major of change of season has thrown me for a loop. (should you desire more details, read my previous three blogs!)
So the question I’ve been asking God for months is “What now?” I’ve been sensing a change coming; a change not only in my new season of life, but a change in my life in ministry as well. And God, by His grace, has so clearly and precisely given me some direction for this new season.
Yes…I’m still pastoring alongside my husband, in what we believe to be the greatest church (es) on the planet!!
Yes...I’m still leading and discipling women, as that is my heart’s greatest joy!
Yes…I’m still being a “mama” to my earthly and spiritual family!
But over the past several months, I’ve felt God breathe new life into some old dreams in my heart that I’ve put on the back burner for years now. Dreams that I had long forgotten. Dreams that I thought would be just that…a dream, never a reality. Dreams that I’ve quietly kept in my heart that have just been between me and God. But yet in this new season, I’ve sensed a “rebirthing” of some pretty awesome dreams that I feel like now God wants to make a reality.
One the things I’ve heard God clearly say is this: “It is now time to start writing. NOW is the time and season. Everything I’ve put in your heart, it’s now time for you to put into words.”
I’ve been blogging for several years now, so I have been writing…some. But this is different. This is a change of focus from occasionally writing to purposefully writing.
For those of you who know me and have heard me speak over the years, will remember me talking of writing a book. I’ve talked about it for years. I’ve piddled around with it for years. I’ve thought about it for years. I’ve prayed about it for years. I’ve written some…but not what God is requiring of me now. NOW IS THE TIME.
So I made a decision (along with confirmation from my husband) several months ago, that this upcoming season, my spoken words will now become my written words. I am putting my public speaking schedule and requests on hold, so that I may concentrate and focus on what God is asking of me now……TO WRITE. So like it or not, you will be the beneficiary of this step of obedience. Every time you click on my blogs, or share my blogs, you’ll be helping me get the “words” out that God has asked me to write. And eventually, a book will come. Maybe even several books. Only God is in charge of that!
I will still be speaking publicly within own church family, but outside requests have been given the answer of “No, not during this season. But thank you!”
Another area that God has breathed new life into in my heart has been missions. What most of you don’t know is that when I was 19 years old in bible college, I felt such a strong call to missions work. It was so strong in my heart that I went to my college advisor and told her that I would be leaving bible college and moving to Africa to become a missionary. THANK GOD my advisor had the wisdom to direct me to stay in college, telling me: “Heidi, the other ends of the world will still be there in a few years once you complete your education.” And thank God I listened and stayed in college, or I would not have met and eventually married my awesome husband!!
Side note: the irony is that my second daughter, all these years later, left home at 18 years old to serve on the mission field IN AFRICA for the past 2 ½ years and continues to carry a burning passion in her heart for missions and the world!! Sometimes God allows us to see our dreams come to pass through the lives of others!!
Once I got married, I never shared my heart for missions work with Eugene because if you know my husband, he’s not much of a traveler and would much rather stay on American soil to reach people for Jesus! But as the years passed, I did share my heart with him and my (our) mission’s work has looked like pastoring an inner-city church in Houston, TX many years ago and now a church in Opelousas, Louisiana.
Now that my children are grown and we are soon-to-be empty nesters, that passion in my heart for missions has rekindled. I don’t expect, nor do I desire, to move to a third world country and become a missionary (I would be going alone, without my husband!); we have plenty of missionary work to do in our own backyard. But now, I can become more purposeful and intentional in helping other ministries in their work to third world countries. I love to travel. I love visiting other countries. I love being Jesus to the poor, to the neglected, to the less fortunate, to those that the world has forgotten about. Those people are within our own city limits, but they are also outside our own country and they need our help, our love, our intentional care for them, representing the heart of Jesus and His Church.
I’ll be putting my hands, even more intentionally, to missions work and outreach within our own communities, as well as to other countries and ministries that God has connected our hearts with.
So that’s my answer to the question, “What now?”
Missions and writing.
And I’ll be writing. A lot. I’ll be putting into words all that God has put in my heart for the past 25 years, and maybe even one day, God will use those words to bless the people in other less fortunate countries, as well.
I’m pretty excited about that!
And I hope you are too!
I know God is!