Providence. The serendipitous activity we ascribe to the God who goes before us.

Often we experience the providence of God in small, ordinary ways. From time to time, however, we sense the goodness of God’s provision in a more significant way.

Late last year, as we were completing the discernment process and finalising the directions we believed the Lord was inviting us into, I received an invitation from the Baptist Association to participate in an adaptive capacity cohort through Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California. Normally, the price point for this eighteen-month process would have precluded our involvement. Through a generous grant, Fuller were able to offer it to us at a seriously reduced price. We (Matt, Rox, Vicki, Leeanne Smith, and myself) participated in the first webinar a few weeks ago and, while there is a lot of work to do and a long way to go, one of our first impressions was that this training was very, very timely. Too timely you might say!

As we embark on the process of taking up God’s invitation in our strategic priorities and begin to grapple with the changes that will come with that – not to mention still coming to grips with a post-COVID world – we have been given access to a wonderful tool to help. I choose to see the hand of God in this provision and want to take up the opportunity with gratitude but also with anticipation of what God might have planned for us in this opportunity.

I’ll be sharing more about the adaptive capacity cohort as we go through it, but more immediately, I hope you too have witnessed the providential care of God in your life and that you too can proceed with gratitude and anticipation!