One year from now, our oldest daughter, Naomi, will be eligible for her driver’s training permit. I’m not sure how to prepare for that moment.

I thought I’d start with teaching her what I do when I drive. So recently, I’ve been talking out loud through all the decisions I make while driving in our five-speed Kia Spectra.

One of the lessons we’ve been talking about is knowing when to shift. You can hear it as the engine roars. You can see it as the landscape passes by. As the car is accelerating, it’s important that you are ready, at just the right moment, to shift into a higher gear. If you shift early you lose momentum and if you shift too late you could blow the engine and come to a stop.

Eagle LifeChurch has begun to accelerate. There is a freshness of Spirit, a newness of joy, and a growing sense of life and light that is present in our gatherings. You can see it in our Children’s Ministry. You can hear it in our worship. We are pulling away from the place of rest and moving forward.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the dessert. – Isaiah 43:19

Just like in our five-speed Spectra, if you aren’t prepared for the shift, you might get jerked around in the car. I want the ride to be comfortable, but it isn’t always easy.

I’m asking you to pray with me for our shift into a higher gear. If we shift too early we’ll lose momentum, if we shift too late we could blow the engine.

Pray that God will give us wisdom on how to develop, how to spend resources, and when and what to shift as we accelerate. Pray that God will unite us in mission and strategy as we mature. We need children’s workers, we need hospitality team members, we need LifeGroup leaders, we need youth workers, we will need a board member this winter, and there are other needs that will come up that we may not anticipate.

Please pray that God will give us workers, miracles, healing, and strength. Pray that God will build and accelerate His church, so that we do not labor in vain.

Thank you for joining me in prayer.

Trusting God for a Higher Gear!
Pastor Brad Murphy