A Purpose and A Plan
Go back in time with me, about twenty-five or thirty years ago. There was a kind lady that we attended church with named Mrs. Fuller. Mrs. Fuller was a dedicated Christian and was enthusiastic about sharing the Gospel with the children in our church. She also had a heart for missions. Unfortunately, I do not know a lot about Mrs. Fuller's younger years, but in her later years, she would spend hours putting together activities for our children's group that would involve missionaries. There were mornings when we would come to the church, and the chairs in the fellowship hall were arranged in two sections, with an aisle down the middle. Usually, a flag from a particular country was draped in the front of the room. Each child was given a "ticket", and we would embark on an imaginary airplane ride. We would be served a snack on our "flight" that might be similar to something they would eat in the country where we would be "visiting". Once we "arrived", Mrs. Fuller would be dressed appropriate for the culture. She would then share with us things about the country, the people, and the missionaries who were living there. After our "tour" was complete, we would enjoy a return "flight" listening to music from the place we had just "visited". Mrs. Fuller invested many hours sharing missionary stories with us.
Every year, Mrs. Fuller was the head of the missions committee. She had six missionary books that she would encourage each child to "check-out" that had short stories about missionaries and their lives. If we read all of them, we received a special certificate. I really did not want to read those books. My biggest fear was that God would call me to the mission field. I did not want to go overseas where the living conditions would be so hard. I was reluctant to learn about missionaries, and I prayed that God would never call me to such work.
I may have been a young child when all of these events were taking place, but that does not excuse me from the selfish attitude that I possessed and continued to possess even through most of my adulthood. My number one commitment was myself. I set myself and my family up as idols, worshiping with my time and talents. I cannot count all the opportunities that I missed, all the people I overlooked, all the ways that instead of bringing people to Christ, I most likely pushed them away. God may have forgiven me of these sins, but I have not forgotten the people and my selfish choices.
Sharing the Gospel is not an optional commandment in the Bible. Loving people is not a choice. As Christians, we are called to love and to serve and to share with others the truth that Jesus came to save us. When I finally let God start leading my life, my heart towards missions changed. What blessed individuals, called by God, obedient to His will, taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth! I have prayed that God would now call our family to the mission field. But, I realize that He has already done that! I can share God's love and truth from my home and have the potential to reach people from all over the world!
What I didn't understand when I started this blog was that a website is constantly changing and needing to be updated. Plans, schedules, and goals change. Maybe you've followed me on this journey and seen the changes that I've made since I started in January 2015. After very much prayer and some open doors, I finally feel like God has given me a clearer plan and purpose. On Flippin 4 This, you will find faith, family, and fun. In every story that we share, you will see that God is clearly working in our lives and through our situations. You will read about our family, our adventures with homeschooling and our gluten-free lifestyle. You will see from our faces that we are having fun, living life together. When you visit Flippin 4 This, I hope that you will feel like you are visiting our home, sharing our journey together. And most importantly, I hope that through the things you read on our website, you will learn about God and desire to have a relationship with Him.
Welcome again to Flippin 4 This...
