Souled Out- Phil. 3:7-8

Philippians 3:7-8 “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

Take off for Uganda, East Africa- 1 day. One Day!!!  So much prayer has gone into this trip- so much support and encouragement. We are super thankful for everyone who helped make this possible- for the love and prayers and support. We know this is where the Lord wants us this summer and we are STOKED to see what He has in store!! We will be serving with the Cash family who are wonderful friends that we have known for about 8 years. Their heart for the Lord is breathtaking-their courage and self-sacrifice for the Gospel- beautiful. If you want to read more about them and their stories, you can go to www.cashfamilymission.com

The reason we chose Souled Out as our blog title is because it embodies what God calls us as Believers to be…whether we are going to Africa, or working hard at summer school or loving our family by serving them in ways no one sees….We realize that if we don’t live lives that are “sold out” to Jesus- giving Him our all in everything he asks us to –exciting or not, then we aren’t truly sold out. Oh the joy that comes from striving to be at a place where “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Where if He asked us to deny everything we love and hold onto except Him- with no one watching to see our “sacrifice” -we would do it, with a heart of joy. A heart of joy because we are bringing glory to God- glory to the Lover of our souls. Can we be so caught up in keeping the face of Jesus in sight, that all else pales in comparison?  If the people we interact with were asked what fires us up, what lights up our eyes, what are we sold out for- would they say without a doubt- Christ and the Gospel.

If we are seeking to be “found in Christ” –our worth, our identity, our fulfillment- then we would consider every adventure, every task, every sacrifice of equal importance in the service of Christ. We would not consider some things to be “mission trips” that are more important than “normal summers.” We would not consider some things “adventurous” for the sake of Christ and everything else “boring.” In the end, it is all an adventure when serving Jesus. Yes, some may be harder or more exciting or whatever…but it all should be different lanes on the same road, headed towards the One Light. Sold out means no retreat, no regret and no return.

So pray for us that we would live sold out to the Lord in everything He calls us to do this summer. Pray that self sacrifice and joy would be our modus operandi. Pray that God would equip us and that we would not try to be strong in and of ourselves (cause that idea Fails!) That we would see the bigger picture and be filled with boldness to tell the world about this crazy Love that has called us out of darkness, rescued us and called us His own.