Ready or Not

At a certain point in the future God the Father will decide that the time is right. Then His Son the Bridgroom will divide the heavens and set foot once again on the earth announcing ‘Ready or not, here I come’.

Will I be ready? The answer to that question is really answered by whether I am ready, right now, for the things God has for me to do in the present. Do I live a life of readiness? Even “‘chance’ favors the prepared mind”—there are opportunities, decisions and relationships testing our readiness for the future in the here and now.

How would you answer??? What a theme this has been for this year’s Family Encouragement Weekend! Each time, the twelve hours of testimonies, teaching, fellowship, and prayer have flown by as we share and encourage one another on this subject as families.

In North Carolina after the first FEW of the year we were encouraged to hear the Neely family sing the songs from their patriotic CD at a local church.

Children and parents--and new parents!--attend sessions together. The West Virginia FEW coincided with Sauntina’s first trip to West Virginia and the official announcement of Dad’s book on The Power of Music. It was a miracle of God’s grace that the church building where we held the conference was among the few that did not lose electricity that week. He is deserving of much glory.

This was our second time to see the Schmechels but it seemed we were old friends.Most recently, the FEW in Virginia gave us the chance to meet Josiah Bradford Wilkes! and learn more farming skills with the Wilkes Team. Life brings opportunities at every turn! May the Lord find us faithful, ready servants.

Tests of readiness never end. Neither is it the end of this year’s FEW Conference schedule! God has called us to that part of the country where our rich Christian heritage began! In the heart of New England we look forward to encouraging and being encouraged by a few more of the many families God is raising up to be “ready always to give an answer to [everyone who asks] a reason of [our hope]” (I Peter 3:15).

Because of the cross our fellowship continues long after the sessions are over.

5 Comments

  1. Jessica Clark August 17, 2012 at 1:14 pm #

    It was great to see your family this past weekend! We really enjoyed the fellowship and were very encouraged this past weekend. We look forward to opportunities for more fellowship in the future!

  2. Michael August 18, 2012 at 4:48 am #

    Check out the Wilkes Team report too! http://thewilkesteam.com/2012/08/17/the-lord-thy-god-in-the-midst-of-thee-is-mighty-zep-317/

  3. Robert August 18, 2012 at 10:12 am #

    Wow! What a great year it has been. I like the exhortation to be ready always! We look forward to hearing a report from New Hampshire!

  4. Esther Staddon August 18, 2012 at 11:14 am #

    Great report! May each of us allow the Lord to continue working on us. 🙂

  5. Nathan Burkhalter August 18, 2012 at 9:41 pm #

    Good thoughts!

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