Surrender

Surrender - Verb   /səˈrendər/

• Cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority
• Give up or hand over (a person, right, or possession), typically on compulsion or demand
• (in a sports contest) Lose (a point, game, or advantage)
• Abandon oneself entirely to (a powerful emotion or influence); give in to
• (of an insured person) Cancel (a life insurance policy) and receive back a proportion of the premiums paid

Surrender is the 2011 vision for our local faith family.  We are fortunate to be a part of a church that exalts God and encourages true Christ followers to surrender their everything to Him.  (If you are local to the Columbus, GA / Phenix City, AL area, Golden Acres Baptist Church is an amazing group of people who love Jesus.  Come visit!  Or, if you're in the Fort Benning / Fort Mitchell area, The Fort Church launches 4.24.11!)

Back to surrender... this is a journey that we have been on as a family for quite some time.  And, while composing this week's post, I was reminded that the story begins even earlier than I remembered!  I was anticipating sharing about what began in our lives in April 2010, but now I realize that the events leading up to that April must not be left out of the story.  So, it's back to the drawing board to compose an entry regarding the events of early 2010...  but, dear blog world readers, I did not want to procrastinate in my posting.  Therefore, I will leave you with a quote that pierced my heart this evening.  I believe this sums up what God has been doing in our lives, and I pray you will consider allowing Him to do the same in yours.

When Jesus calls us to abandon everything we have and everything we are, it’s almost as if he is daring us to put ourselves in the flood plain. To put all our lives and all our churches, all our property and all our possessions, all our plans and all our strategies, all our hopes and all our dreams in front of the levee and then to ask God to break it. To ask God to sweep away whatever he wants, to leave standing whatever he desires, and to remake our lives and churches according to his will. -David Platt in Radical Together

Why blog?

Our little family has been around the block a time or two.  Or three. Or four.  We sometimes affectionately refer to ourselves as "The Traveling Joneses."  We never seem to know what adventure lurks around the next corner.  Many different communities have been called home, and each has been a blessing to us. 

My main reason for establishing a blog is this:

"What brings you to __________?"   (fill in the blank with the city of your choice)

The easy, and accurate answer is, "Mike's job."  But, the more we are asked this question, the more I am convicted about our answer.  So, this is my attempt to document just exactly what WHO brought us here. 

I don't want to cheat you out of hearing how God still works in the lives of his children.  Please don't misunderstand.  We are not special... we're just ordinary people.  Living ordinary lives.  Making ordinary mistakes. All the while trying our best to surrender to and follow an extraordinary God.  And somehow, God sees fit to lead and guide us to exactly where we are supposed to be.

I haven't quite figured out how to articulate everything just yet, so this will be the first installment.  If I tried to fit the whole story in one blog post, it would be like "drinking from a fire hydrant."  ( <- That quote courtesy of the best BFG teacher we've ever known.)  Stay tuned for more.  I plan to share the story of how God has led us here, as well as how he continues to lead and work in our lives... drop by drop.