Julie and I just put our house on the market.  And just for clarification, we love living here!  We live at the top of a wooded hill on 3.2 acres in a very “pastoral” setting (pun intended).  Jackson Local is a great school system and we have MANY friends in the community.

So why is our house on the market?

Because we believe God is calling us to move into the city of Canton.

Though only 25 minutes from our current home, unlike Jackson Township, Canton was recently listed by Forbes as one of the least desirable and fastest dying cities in America.  Ouch!

So why is God calling us to move into the city?

Because God has a heart for the city.  He loves the people of the city.  And because God has a heart for the city, we believe that we must as well.  And because God loves the people of the city, we believe that we must become “one of” the people of the city.

We all have to determine what God is calling each of us to do . . .

My 12 year old daughter, Tabitha, asked us this morning, “How do you know what God is calling you to do?”  I wish the answer was simple, but I’ll tell you what I told her.  We pray.  And in the stillness of our souls we listen for the gentle promptings of God’s Holy Spirit.  We think about the character of God—God’s heart.  And we do our best to allow the character of God—God’s heart, to be reflected in our lives.  We watch what God is doing—where He seems to be moving—and we follow.  We seek prayer and wise counsel from other Jesus-followers that we respect, and, once again, we listen.

And so, our house is on the market.