It’s been a year – a very good year! My family and I have been at Higgins Lake for a year. It’s hard to believe. It seems like it’s only been a couple of months. I’ve been pastoring here for a year and what a privilege it has been. The folks at Higgins Lake Baptist Church have been gracious to us and shown their love in many ways.
It still amazes me that just a short time ago as our family drove around Higgins Lake one warm July evening during the summer of 2002 thinking about what the Lord was preparing us for and thinking of the possibilities of a church I might serve the Lord in as a full time pastor and really knowing nothing about the church or the people here or even that they needed a pastor. I pointed at the church as we passed by that evening and wondered out loud what it would be like if the Lord sent us to a church like this in a place like this up north. And then he brought us here, much to our surprise. I know we shouldn’t be amazed when the Lord proves His love for us in such ways but He is an awesome God and does know how to overwhelm us with His goodness.
We now know what it’s like to live up north and minister with these wonderful people. We know that there will be challenges in the days ahead but His desire is to grow us and mold us for His service so we realize He will use future difficulty for our good. Our prayer now is that should the Lord tarry, He would give us many more years of fruitful ministry, that He would give us many years here to serve Him with gratitude, forge deep friendships with His people and win the lost to Christ, changing this community for His glory.