Chugga Chugga...

My kids love trains. My boys, especially are enjoying living in town with a lot of train traffic. I hate that line in Polar Express that says something like, "The important thing about trains isn't where it's going, but choosing to get on..." Of course it matters where you're going!

Anyway, I'm preaching tomorrow - here's the train of thought my mind will take... more or less.

Grew up moving... Dad changed jobs (actually entire career fields)... Once as we loaded up the U-haul at the house we'd just sold, we didn't know where we'd live when we got to where we were going...

When I got married (right after HS) we had nothing (no jobs, no money, no great career path plotted out), had to sell a wedding gift wok to buy enough Ramen to make it to the next (first) paycheck...

Worked as a waiter @ Perkins after graduating college while looking for a ministry...

God provides. He always gives us the tools to do what He's asked us to do. (Doesn't mean it's all good, all the time.)

Just ask Job. Had it all. Lost it all. Had it all again. It wasn't a cakewalk, but God did provide. Our obedience doesn't guarantee ease... but it does guarantee Presence.

Abraham... Isaac, the son of promise (Gen 21)... Moriah (Gen 22)... obedient choice. Heb. 11:17ff - he expected Isaac's resurrection! (Even in Abraham's day, resurrection was pretty, um... rare!) Why would he have expected that? "God will provide."

Moriah is later where Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem. Same area where God did exactly what he saved Abraham from doing. Sacrifice of his Son.

Rom. 12:1ff
Micah 6:6-8
Rom. 8:28ff

This will be my first time speaking to the whole congregation here... hope it's not a train wreck! hehehe (Don't worry, I'll use complete sentences tomorrow.)