One of the many puzzle pieces we sifted through as we were making a decision on New Brunswick was how God spoke to us in listening prayer during our leadership gathering.  The following were the words members of our leadership team heard during this time (if you have questions about "listening prayer", check out our previous talks on the subject):

1. An image of socks with green and white stripes. The green represents "go," and the socks represent God padding things as we walk forward.

2. God will hand us reconciliation, but it will be difficult.

3. An image of a baby in a bassinet, representing the new birth of a site.

4. A tree growing, with the message "this is a growth of the Lord."

5. A difficult first year.

6. Tension at the boundaries/edges of our moments of action.

So how does one sift through words and images like this? It is interesting to note that all six words affirm a movement forward, and four of the six refer to the challenge ahead.  As such, these words can be understood as yet another piece of a "yes" answer to moving forward.  

Furthermore, the Bible talks about the gift of "prophesy" is for the purpose of "upbuilding and encouragement and consolation." What that means is that the above words- along with other indications of God's "yes" to move forward- are there for us to refer to down the road as things get challenging or discouraging.

Prayer Points:

1. Pray for God's continued clear guidance as we walk down this road of Ethnos New Brunswick.

2. Pray for Ethnos to be engaged in more and more prayer as we move forward.