Fords (Still) on a Mission, Part 1

You know that famous opening line from that famous high school required reading,

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

Yeah, that.

We have been rather quiet on the blog since the beginning of the year, for many reasons. The primary one has been life. You know all about that, dear reader, I am sure. Almost as soon as the year began, we were challenged with illness, emergencies, and parenting trials. Additionally, since the end of David\’s Tent 2014 in November, we felt a spiritual restlessness, a decided sense that some kind of change was imminent.

The logical conclusion we drew from this sense was that it was time to move into full-time ministry. The problem was that we did not know what that would entail. So, we kept our eyes open and pursued the options in our path. One of two results always came, though: either the doors closed, or we simply could not get a peace about a situation. Nothing felt right, and through the process we experienced discouragement, confusion, frustration, and the difficult question we all ask in difficult times – What does God really want us to do?

We prayed and resolved to want nothing that was not God\’s will. We laid down every vain idea and waited for Him to either open a door or leave us where we were. Finally, through a series of events that can only be deemed as divine, the Lord reignited our old desire to move back to Nashville. We prayed and received several confirmations. Our hearts have always been for Nashville as the center of our ministry, reaching out from there to the rest of the state and beyond. We have a deep love for this region, and feel a strong sense that God is redeeming our hometown.

After seeking the counsel and release of spiritual authorities, we put our house in Christiana on the market. It sold in exactly one week. We moved August 1st, just in time to begin the school year with Judah in our new home.

Additionally, during the period of restlessness, the Lord spoke to Jason concerning his job, letting him know that he did not have to leave it. This word came as a relief to Jason instead of a disappointment. The Lord works through Jason in his job daily, and we feel that, for now, he will remain there not only to earn income but to be used by God in the various places he visits.

In this year of transition, there was one area that could not be left out: we have the great pleasure of expecting our third child, making us now The Ford Five! Baby Three should arrive at the beginning of February, 2016. 

For now, we feel that God is wanting to root us firmly in a home base. We see ourselves as missionaries to this city, region, and state primarily. God is connecting us to people and places we feel will be elemental to His plans for us. We have experienced the grace of God on these new and re-newed relationships. There are already many projects and plans in the works, which we will share more about in an upcoming post.

For now, we are grateful for the times of testing, in which we learn how to truly surrender to God. Even through the frustration of the beginning of the year, we learned about our own strengths and weaknesses, our faith, and our willingness to follow God no matter what. Good things are at the end of the test, if we will