Our God is an Awesome God!

We are well on our way to our new place of worship. However, I want to reflect on where we have been for 5 years.

Five years ago I never dreamed we would be where we are today as Providence Baptist Church. I mean, it has been a struggle. We started out on a high note and God was adding to our ranks. But as always, God knows what He is doing and thinnned those ranks, leaving that cream that has the best taste. That little group of precious people stayed the course and it is they that God has blessed.

Why does God thin the ranks? Because it is a surety that if He doesn't, His church will not grow properly. All good trees require pruning. Dead, diseased limbs, sucker growth, insect infestations, must be eradicated, or they will kill the tree. Once I took our lawn mower and mowed down a line of Monkey grass that bordered our driveway. My wife nearly had a heart attack. She was sure I had killed it. I assured her that it would come back greater and fuller. She wasn't convinced at first, but then it came back so full and pretty. The same applies to the church. It will come back stronger and fuller when the Lord puts the pruning hook to it. The good limbs will put on good fruit and leaves that will feed many and shade many more.

Now understand, pruning can sometimes hurt. We have seen several Saints leave us and go on to Glory. Some were called away to other places. Then, we had some who God just simply removed from us for they were not true Believers at all. The Lord was gracious to remove these for they were trouble makers. Yet, it still hurt for awhile. God is gracious, though, and granted us the peaceful fruit of righteousness and kept His little flock together. They have been wounded, but they still carry own. And the reward for carrying on? A building of their own.

So here we are five years later and we are still small, but growing every day in the admonishion of the Lord. We are moving soon to Canaan after living in Egypt. And what a move and what a time for it! We praise God for such bounty of blessings. We're marching onward to Zion whose builder and maker is God.