Roanoke...We Love You!

The Journey staff at Parkway's Missions Conference.

With our awesome host and hostess, Dennis and Jen Corey.
Don't you just love their t-shirts?

This week we were reminded of all the reasons why it was so hard to leave Parkway Wesleyan Church in Roanoke, Virginia. The people there are so encouraging, loving, generous, and gracious. We took our whole staff (all three of them!) from Journey to Parkway's Missions Conference since Parkway is a very large contributor to our church plant here in Michigan. They invited Jon to speak for the opening rally on Wednesday night (of course, he did an awesome job) and then they spoiled us the rest of the two days with meals out and good times with old friends. Our music pastor and his wife were especially spoiled with a free couples massage at a spa! We loved introducing them to our good friends and staff from Roanoke since we talk about them all the time...and I think they now understand better why we miss it so much. But it was also a good confirmation for me and Jon in our spirits because neither one of us regretted our decision to leave Parkway to start Journey. We both said at dinner tonight that we loved visiting and had a great time, but we didn't feel at all like we wanted to be back there. We were reminded in our hearts of what we already knew...that we had done the right thing.

On Thursday night, Parkway had a catered dinner for the missionaries and we had a special speaker, Joy Fuller. She shared such a great insight, I wanted to share it with you all here. She talked about how we may be a "good" Christian but we never seem to have that spark or love or excitement for God that some others have...so what are we missing, what are we doing wrong? Well, in the garden of Eden there were 2 trees, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. Obviously, we know that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was not to be eaten from or it would bring death. Many of us are eating good things from the wrong tree! We are not eating from the Tree of Life that brings us life and love and excitement for God, instead we are eating good from the tree that brings us death. Sure, we need to do good and be good, but it should never be our first priority. We should look first to love God and then the good deeds will follow. So I personally was challenged in that, why do I read my Bible, because that's the "good" thing to do or because I love God? Or why do I serve at church, because that's the "good" thing to do or because I love God?

Thank you, Parkway people, for a very encouraging, refreshing, and uplifting week. We miss you lots and love you from the bottom of our hearts. We are proud to say that the last ten years of our life were spent in ministry with you!