And So It Begins..

 Last night we attended a watch-night service at a church in our community. I have some dear friends who attend there and  had lobbied to get me into the roster of preachers that were supposed to preach that night.  That didn't work out, but I was given a few minutes to talk about the work, particularly the past and my future plans in regards to the Philippines.  How do you sum up who you are, and what you do and  what you hope to do in such a time? Apparently you can't, because my wife's testimony was that I wasn't "making any sense.",  This is particularly vexing because she is as familiar with the subject as I am, so if she was confused then...yikes!
  Some of you know this, and some of you don't.  We recently left the church where we've attended and served for 12 years.  You'll find no criticism of the ministry or people of that church here; we simply saw a more fruitful future elsewhere, but the 'elsewhere' remains a problem.
  I have been saved for almost 20 years and I have never not had a church home.  It's a strange feeling.  This Sunday will be the first Sunday in years that I haven't taught the Bible to somebody.  I'll go door-knockiing Friday, but for the first time in 2 decades it won't be as a part of a church, but rather out of loyalty to my partner. Like I said; a strange feeling.
  Thus I begin my new year trying to find a home that will accept me and my ministry.  I then have to establish myself in that work enough so that somebody will endorse me as a missionary. From then I can begin to establish financial support for this endeavor.  Very few churches will take a capable worker in the ministry and dispatch him somewhere else to their own loss.  I also have to settle my wife's heart about all this and get her to the Philippines where she can see for herself (hopefully) the future that I see.
  In light of all this, the theme for 2015 appears to be 'Uphill All the Way.'