Status Report on our transition to Portland

I thought I would write a blog to bring you all up to date with how God is leading in our family's transition to our next ministry. Many of you have stopped me and asked what is going on and expressed your support for our family. I am very grateful for your friendship and support.

I realized this week as I was praying that this blog site is a great vehicle to keep you current with what God is doing as we prepare to launch Impact Biblical Counseling in the Portland area. I also want to help you to know how you can be praying for us in this transition.

One of the things I would like to do is provide regular prayer requests for anyone who would like to be part of our prayer team. I would like to provide up to date prayer requests (weekly?) to anyone who would commit to praying for us. If you are interested, simply send me an e-mail at: Steve@ImpactBiblicalCounseling.com and I will send out a weekly e-mail that gives you our current prayer requests.

In the meanwhile I would like to ask you to pray for us in three areas.

• The first is that God will keep me focused on the responsibilities I have here at CPC. I am still fully engaged with the ministries here. I would love prayer for my work with the Building Executive Committee. I am pulling together a team of ministry leaders to plan for life when we move off site for Sunday ministries. Ask God to give us time to meet while we are all busy with the ministries we oversee. I would also love prayer for the Gospel and the Heart seminar on March 26-27.
• Secondly, pray for us as we develop Impact Biblical Counseling and establish relationships with churches in the Portland area. I will be going to Oregon March 11-22 to present two weekend conferences and to meet with more pastors to present our ministry.
• Thirdly, I ask you to pray for the logistics of moving. Ann and I are excited about God's call to this new ministry, but we recognize that this is completely beyond our ability to manage as finite people. Ann has described this as the "coming tsunami." I think I better understand the Hebrews' response to the spies who reported on their trip into Canaan in . Numbers 13 and 14. I agree with Joshua and Caleb's message that the land is filled with good things and will be a wonderful home, and there are giants that God will defeat for us. I want to see more of God who is leading us into this new home, and less of the giants! Please pray that we will be able to sell our home in this unstable market; buy a home (and get a mortgage in a tight credit market); be settled in as the fall starts; and, that God will use our ministry to serve the churches in Portland providing solid care for folks who want to grow in their understanding of how the unchanging grace of God changes us and matures us spiritually .
  

Thank you for your love and support. As we continue in our ministry here we are grateful for the opportunity you are giving us to move on gently. You are investing in kingdom ministry, the benefits of which you will not personally experience. Ann and I believe that God is going to do good things for His kingdom through the investment you have made and are making.

Steve