Dear Friends and Family:
We cannot thank God nor all of you enough for the many blessings in our lives. Obviously we are looking forward to the amazing gift of a child. Along with that life change, we are also discussing a major change of vocation. As many of you know, we have not exactly been happy in our current situation. We both have worked in jobs where we encounter children/young adults in horrible conditions and lacking in every kind of love. It is very difficult to work in this situation when we are not always able to share what would be most powerful for these children/young adults--food, a hug, prayer, spiritual love, and spiritual guidance. So last year, we started asking if God would open a way for us to find a new place in His mission. Almost a week later--no joke--our friends Josh and Jaime Fisher called to tell us about Mission Alive.
Mission Alive is a missional church planting organization in Dallas, TX. In late July, we attended Mission Alive’s Discovery Lab. The Lab is very intense; it is a three day spiritual assessment and discussion of faith. We learned a lot about ourselves and our marriage. At the end of the Lab, Mission Alive asked Lana and I to be Associate Church Planters. Preparing for church planting with Mission Alive is similar in many ways to preparing for foreign mission work. After a lot of prayer and discernment, Lana and I have decided to continue to pursue this opportunity. In mid-October, we will be attending the Theology Lab and hopefully in June the Strategy Lab. During the Strategy Lab, we will establish more of the concrete details which we naturally wonder--where, when, how, etc.
We ask now that you would keep us in your prayers. We also would appreciate a lot of questions so that you might be a part of our discernment process. We ask that you would specifically pray for Lana and her pregnancy. Please pray that we are patient--that we listen to God and sound counsel and not pursue our own selfish ideas. Please pray that even while making future plans we do not fail to use this time to serve others. And pray that we are open and listening to what God has to show us while at the Theology Lab--October 13-16.
Also, Lana says that asking for funds provides a wonderful way for people to feel apart of our lives and provides a reason to discuss God’s active presence in our lives. She is correct. It is also a testament to how God provides through His family. In July, we needed $950 to make the trip; we received $951. Through this June, we are asked to raise $1100. If any of you feel called to participate in our discernment financially, we would greatly appreciate it.
Up until now, we have been trying to discern if church planting is a vocation we should pursue. We believe it is. This will hopefully become a greater and greater part of our lives, and we hope that you will continue to be a part of our lives as well. Below we have listed contact information, information about Mission Alive, and some reading we have been doing about church planting.
Thank you. We love you,
Lana and Nathan Miller
Lana 660 233 2033 lanamcbanana@gmail.com
Nathan 660 909 8501 nfamiller@gmail.com
Lana and Nathan Miller
(Address not provided on public blog, please contact author for details)
Sedalia, MO 65301
Mission Alive missionalive.org
Readings:
The Tangible Kingdom
And: The Gathered and Scattered Church
Organic Church
Transforming Discipleship
Simply Christian
Reasons for God
