God Leads Us Along

May 1980, Cyndy's high school Senior prom. Isn't Syd dashing?

Our wedding day, Oct. 11, 1980

I love setting things down in a blog, as it is a journal of such memorable life-events. In His wisdom the Lord has led us along through these 31 years. During the early years of marriage He gave blessing upon blessing. We had only been saved 1 (Syd) and 2 (me) years when we were wed. The Lord knew how much we needed to grow and learn to trust and serve Him. During those first 8 years we served God at a small church in Ascutney. For the last six of the years we were there God opened up a ministry to the youth group. It was during that time, too, that Bradley came to live with us as an infant. He was there for everything. We took almost five years of evening Bible classes, two sessions per year, several weeks per session. Our pastor was the teacher and they were all held at the basement of our church. For at least one of those years I attended the class from inside the nursery (which had a dutch door, so open at the top). Later Bradley would play alone quietly while I sat nearest to the open door. During the break I'd put him to bed in the crib and he would awake in his own bed at our home. Bradley went along to Nursing homes to minister to elderly folks on Thurs. nights and Sunday afternoons. He was the little tag-along at every youth meeting and the older kids loved him. These were precious years of learning and service. Blessing upon blessing the Lord would give. It seemed our car almost never broke down (looking back, we didn't really have anything go wrong with that Toyota! perhaps because it was a Toyota!). A devastating blow to us, but one that caused us to grow, was a "split" in our church. It was a sorrowful time but something that we evidently needed to draw us closer to the Lord.

God very definately led us on to serve him at Dublin Christian Academy in 1988. Leaving our church was hard, but knowing that God was leading made it an adventure with Him. For the next three years we enjoyed the fellowship of a good church, school ministry and summer camp ministries. Many wonderful, lasting friendships were started. The Lord only had us there for three years, and while contemplating returning to our church in Ascutney to help the new pastor in the ministry, it became evident that we were to, instead, launch into the great unknown and go to Bible School at BJU in Greenville, SC. I think of these as the middle-years, where God brought blessings in the unknown. Up until the night before we actually were to leave, we still did not know where we were going to live. Nothing had opened up (to our knowledge). On the day that the "moving bus" was being packed we learned that we WOULD have a place to lay our heads and we would have a small job waiting for us. For the following six years we lived, rent-free, in a mobile home on one thousand acres of land! with a pond! It was wonderful. The hardest part of this move was leaving everything that I'd ever known "behind". I had the Lord and my husband - and it was enough!

Sometime in the mid-eighties

When our Lord was bringing school to a close we began praying about just where He wanted us to go. Syd was already considering moving us to Vershire to help in our present church (unbeknownst to me, but this was my desire too). While on the phone to the pastor (who is also my brother) one day, he shared with Syd that they had been praying that we might come up and help. That was the Lord's answer and we both knew it was His will. These 14 years have been a wonderful mixture of blessings and trials. He has brought us to a more settled-trust in Him so that when trials come we know without a doubt that our "proven" God will supply all our needs and bring us through on the other side. Does this mean we never worry? no! Now we know though that we don't need to worry and can make a conscious choice not to!

married 18 years

Most everyone who knows us knows what's up with us these days, so I won't bore you with it.  As I think along these lines, a hymn which has become precious to me comes to mind, My Goal is God Himself. 
It says: 'My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, nor even blessing, but Himself my God'. 


I read an excerpt today by Chambers which said, "Are we prepared to let God do as He likes with us - prepared to be separated from conscious blessings? ...When once we get there, no matter where God places us or what the inner desolations are, we can praise God that all is well."  This made me think of all the ways God has lead us along through the years. By His Sovreignty He has lead in wisdom, knowing what we needed and when, and every day He is bringing us to a better understanding of His heart and mind.


Oh, Lord, I pray that you'll teach me to be content with only YOU and not to look for feelings and outside blessings to bring happiness. Teach me to wait on you as you lead me along.

Last winter. God has blessed us with 31 years of marriage.