Dear Friends and Family,

 With the start of school right around the corner my thoughts turn to where Alli will go to college in the fall of 2012. Having been through the college selection process twice (for myself and for Derrick) I am reminded that while we plan, desire, and hope for the future God often has other plans.

 For me I dreamed of going to Virginia Tech, Boston College or UConn but God had other plans.  I got into exactly 1 school – Lehigh and I only applied there because the application was 1 page without an essay! God knew that if I got into any other school – I applied to eight – I wouldn’t have attended Lehigh.

 Upon graduation I got exactly 1 job offer – I wanted to work for an airline or one of the major consumer products companies but again God had other plans.  God knew if I had a choice I would not have chosen Armstrong World Industries. In both of these major milestones in my life I had plans, dreams and hopes but God knew better than I.  If I had a choice and hadn’t attended Lehigh or went to work for Armstrong I would not have met the love of my life, we would not have our 3 incredible children, and I would not be writing this to you right now.

 We all plan and dream but often God has other plans for us. And God doesn’t owe us an explanation for His decisions, He doesn’t need our approval for His plans, and He does not promise to provide us insight into the future.  God does, however, provide us with a promise in Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” This is what God promises – a light for our path, not a crystal ball into the future.

 I love what Francis Chan says in his book “Forgotten God: Reversing the Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.” In chapter 6 which is titled “Forget About His Will for Your Life,” Francis states on pages 120 – 121: “The key is that He never promises to reveal His plan all at once, in advance….God cares more about our response to His Spirit’s leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year.”

 Yes we should plan for the future but more importantly God wants us to do what He is asking us to do today.  Follow His light day-by-day, moment-by-moment, and He will lead you to the future He wants for you. You can trust His promise.

 Psalm 139:16 “…all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

 Trust Him…because you can.

 In His Service,

 Ed