My family and I returned from a great weekend a few days ago. We spent time with family and great friends. My children got to see 2nd cousins who they don't get to see to often, as well as their great grandma. They also got to experience things that are not normal for them. A local farmer who has been kind to me (Ture) in the past extended that kindness to my family. Each one of my children (minus Tessa) got to ride in a tractor and learned how cows are fed. They got to experience the truth about pigs. Pigs are not as cuddly as children books portray them. My children also came to a whole new understanding of how the smell of pig (manure) penetrates the deepest layers of your clothing. All in all it was a great weekend.
The purpose of this weekend was to spend time with family and close friends, as well as to share the vision God has put on our heart for missions. In hind sight, I would have never thought a friendship of twenty years would have led to an open door for new relationships to share this vision. The logic is simple to why this would happen, but the reality of it did not hit me until this weekend. Carolyn and I spoke at two churches which allowed a community of people hundreds of miles from us to hear how God is working in our lives and the lives of others. My one relationship opened a door to new opportunities.
There is one story from this weekend that needs to be shared. If it were not for my relationship with one we would not have been blessed by another. A family committed to support us with vague knowledge of who we are and our vision. Through one mutual relationship God not only blessed us, but another family as well who felt a specific leading from the Holy Spirit. The idea of a "Relational Ripple" defines the meaning and purpose of networking. However, I am not simply speaking of networking, but instead God-working. Through a relationship with one person we had access to a network of people that we would not have had otherwise. That network of relationships opened a door, but it is God who weighed heavy on the spirit of at least one family. In the end, we left with a great reminder. It is not simply who you know, but who knows God and who God knows.
The purpose of this weekend was to spend time with family and close friends, as well as to share the vision God has put on our heart for missions. In hind sight, I would have never thought a friendship of twenty years would have led to an open door for new relationships to share this vision. The logic is simple to why this would happen, but the reality of it did not hit me until this weekend. Carolyn and I spoke at two churches which allowed a community of people hundreds of miles from us to hear how God is working in our lives and the lives of others. My one relationship opened a door to new opportunities.
There is one story from this weekend that needs to be shared. If it were not for my relationship with one we would not have been blessed by another. A family committed to support us with vague knowledge of who we are and our vision. Through one mutual relationship God not only blessed us, but another family as well who felt a specific leading from the Holy Spirit. The idea of a "Relational Ripple" defines the meaning and purpose of networking. However, I am not simply speaking of networking, but instead God-working. Through a relationship with one person we had access to a network of people that we would not have had otherwise. That network of relationships opened a door, but it is God who weighed heavy on the spirit of at least one family. In the end, we left with a great reminder. It is not simply who you know, but who knows God and who God knows.