1) We prayed for God to make it clear whether or not we are supposed to go to Israel. Specifically, we prayed for $3000 in our e3 account by today. We knew that this was an impossibly big number and that only God could bring about something that colossal. We did not receive $3000 in our account, but we got an email from an e3 staff member on Thursday that provided us a way out of the trip. So, we have decided to postpone our trip. We do not know where or when we are going, but the money that was donated is in an e3 account with our name on it to be used for a future trip. Our friend, Robert Hope, is leading e3 trips every few months so we are looking forward to partnering with him in the future.
2) We paid our July rent. This may seem like a given for some people, but money has been tight here. With Shauna not working and summer lessons being so flexible, for the first time we have found ourselves worrying about our bills. We honestly didn't have the money for rent yet, somehow, it turned up. While we appreciate the people that donated through this blog, your donations are going to our e3 account and not our bills. Money is going to be tight until mid-August when teaching picks back up, but we are learning a lot by having to trust God for the money.
3) I (shane) have been listening to a lot of David Platt sermons via podcast lately. (What else am I going to do in a warehouse all day?) I've really been convicted of a lot of things, but our finances have been one of them. We don't live lavish lives. We don't have a big house, fancy cars, or really nice things. All in all we lead a pretty simple live. But as I started looking around at how much surplus we have and don't use, I have really been convicted as to how we spend our money and the resources that God has entrusted to us. For one, we have decided to set a cap on our income and give the rest of it away. For instance, if we decide that we can live on $3000 per month then we will live on $36,000/year. Anything over that will be given away. One thing that is hindering us in this is our debts. We were really good about credit cards for a long time, but through it all away over a few dumb purchases of things that we 'needed'. So, we decided to start selling off things to pay off our debt and free up our finances. In the near future, we plan to sell my (shane) car, our Wii, a bunch of DVD/VHS, guitars, music gear, clothes, etc. We have decided to live simply and not live above our means. To roughly paraphrase Platt, maybe God has given us unsurpassed wealth in this country not to lead lavish life styles but to lead the world in unsurpassed giving. You can expect to hear more from us about this.
4) It is hard to have a relationship with God. It really takes work! Like I said earlier, I'm not sure if this is part of being in your twenties or something bigger, but I'm really not satisfied with the nominal Christianity that I see and live. I want something different. I want something real. We don't really know what that looks like, but we're working to figure it out. From talking to various people, I know that we aren't alone in this pursuit. Somewhere buried under all the WWJD bracelets and Christian self-help books is a real God and we are looking for Him. We struggle and fall a lot more than we succeed, but I hope that forward motion and desire counts for something. Lately it feels like we're constantly on the verge of something, but never quite there.
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We got some slack from a few people about 'panhandling' and asking for money through our previous blogs. Let me clear something up. This is a blog. The goal is for us to tell whoever is listening about what is going on in our lives. Right now, this is what is going on in our lives. We are trying to figure life out the best that we can. Part of missions is raising support and building a team of people that believe in what you are doing, whether they support you financially or not. A blog has been a great way to keep people updated on that. Our lives are dedicated to ministry and missions and we're still trying to figure out exactly how that works and what that looks like. I make no apologies for asking people to support (through finances, prayer, or otherwise) our ministry efforts if they believe in what we are doing. As for our bills, we are being honest about where we are right now. We aren't looking for handouts. We work hard and support other friends and missionaries. One of the things I have been really considering, thinking, and praying about is community. Somehow we have lost that over the past few years and everyone is looking out for numero uno. As Christians we cannot live this way and say that we are following Christ. We are united.
The moral? Support us. Don't support us. Doesn't matter. But support SOMETHING. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Believe that maybe there is something more important than what's in your checking account, what kind of car you drive, and how big your house is. As we begin looking into our finances more we will update you with some ministries, missionaries, and people we feel are worth supporting. Right now, check out Robert Hope. He and his family are missionaries with e3 and we are proud to support them. He was in our wedding and I've been in a band with him for a few years. He's a gifted musician and worship leader and a great speaker and youth pastor. God is definitely using him and his family. I believe in him and what he and his family are doing: http://big-berto.blogspot.com/
-shane
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