I've got one more re-post that I thought was fitting this week. This was originally posted on February 12, 2013 and I'm very glad we did things the way we did.
We met so many wonderful people at New Life Pentecostal church. I felt right at home in a multicultural church ~ you know heaven is going to be "of all nations, and
kindreds, and people, and tongues," right? (Revelation 7:9)
Anyway... we had a conversation with one of the young men of the church. As we were getting to know each other, he asked Les, "How did you tell your pastor you were coming to Hawaii?" I loved Les' response, "Well, it didn't work that way. I didn't tell him anything. We talked about the opportunity and I asked him to pray about it, to help us find the will of God."
I believe there is a balance in seeking pastoral counsel. Every single life decision does not require that counsel. Paper or plastic? Eureka or Hoover vacuum? Ford or Chevy? But there are times when only the man of God can help. We enjoyed our first three weeks in Hawaii as I knew we would. But enjoying something doesn't mean it is the will of God. I think Les must have counseled with Pastor White more in the three months he was unemployed than he had in the past 10 years! This was such a big, life altering decision. We could not go forward without our pastor's prayers and counsel. I wrote a post called "What Is The Will of God?" that posted on January 22, 2013 and shared how Pastor White left a voicemail for Les the day we flew to Hawaii, part of his message was "I believe God is in this." The will of God will always line up with His Word and when you seek godly counsel you're headed in the right direction.
I've observed many people who "tell" their pastor what they are doing. Many times they tell him after the fact when they have a mess on their hands that they are trying to clean up. I always want to err on the side of caution. While my heart is a bit torn being away from Victory Tabernacle so much, I have great peace that with our pastor's prayers behind us, we are exactly where God wants us.
"And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." Jeremiah 3:15
I think the proper order is:
God tells the pastor
The pastor tells us
Not the other way around!
Anyway... we had a conversation with one of the young men of the church. As we were getting to know each other, he asked Les, "How did you tell your pastor you were coming to Hawaii?" I loved Les' response, "Well, it didn't work that way. I didn't tell him anything. We talked about the opportunity and I asked him to pray about it, to help us find the will of God."
I believe there is a balance in seeking pastoral counsel. Every single life decision does not require that counsel. Paper or plastic? Eureka or Hoover vacuum? Ford or Chevy? But there are times when only the man of God can help. We enjoyed our first three weeks in Hawaii as I knew we would. But enjoying something doesn't mean it is the will of God. I think Les must have counseled with Pastor White more in the three months he was unemployed than he had in the past 10 years! This was such a big, life altering decision. We could not go forward without our pastor's prayers and counsel. I wrote a post called "What Is The Will of God?" that posted on January 22, 2013 and shared how Pastor White left a voicemail for Les the day we flew to Hawaii, part of his message was "I believe God is in this." The will of God will always line up with His Word and when you seek godly counsel you're headed in the right direction.
I've observed many people who "tell" their pastor what they are doing. Many times they tell him after the fact when they have a mess on their hands that they are trying to clean up. I always want to err on the side of caution. While my heart is a bit torn being away from Victory Tabernacle so much, I have great peace that with our pastor's prayers behind us, we are exactly where God wants us.
"And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." Jeremiah 3:15
I think the proper order is:
God tells the pastor
The pastor tells us
Not the other way around!
