We wanted to share a quick update concerning our direction. After months of effort, we’ve realized that we’re currently locked out of Indianapolis. There have also been some new discoveries that make it clear this path has become a fruitless endeavor for DeAnna and me.
Since February, we’ve tried to buy a house 11 times. We’re still under contract with our realtor until September, but honestly, it’s not about the realtor. We’ve come to believe that this city isn’t for us. During the second half of June, we took intentional time to pray, and we’ve decided to start looking at another city.
We have so many wild stories from this house-hunting season and it’s not fair to lay all that at our realtor’s feet. Truly, it feels like God has left His fingerprints on this closed door. For whatever reason, this is not the place for us right now. And as we’ve said before, our ministry can thrive just about anywhere.
We’re not quite ready to announce the next city, but we hope to do so by August 15.
Additionally, we are thrilled that Bear and Cat were baptized two weeks ago! Both of them came to know Jesus over the last few years. We’ve been holding off until they really understood what baptism is about before letting them take that step. We also wanted to ensure they truly understood what salvation means. We can’t wait to see what God does in their lives from here.
Please pray for us as we wait on the Lord and watch for where He wants us to be. Pray for the book I’m writing, as it is nearly done and moving into the editing and refinement process. I am including an excerpt from the book below:
“Many Christians want to share their faith or live missionally, but they feel stuck, unprepared, or unsure how to start. Traditional church models often don’t connect with people outside the faith, and the people outside often aren’t stepping into the church. Christians are left wondering: How do I build meaningful relationships, have real spiritual conversations, and see discipleship happen in everyday life without being weird, forceful or fake?
“A lot of us want to be part of something meaningful — something that doesn’t just talk about Jesus but lives like Him. We’ve attended church programs, and perhaps even led a few ourselves. And somewhere deep down, we know discipleship is more than a curriculum or Sunday attendance. But here’s the tension — most of the people we care about aren’t walking into a church anytime soon. They’ve been hurt. They’re skeptical. Or maybe they’re just not interested. So, how do we engage them? What does it look like to love people well, without pressuring them or losing the plot of the gospel? That’s the question I found myself asking again and again. And that’s where the 4 Spaces framework came from.”
