Our Present Trouble and 2 Corinthians 1

Nowhere have I found in the Bible that following Jesus would be easy, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I always thought it would be easy, you know, "the good life." Let me express that living for Jesus is "the good life." However, suffering is also a part of walking with Jesus. "The good life" is actually about denying yourself, dying daily, and following Jesus.

Reading the beginning of 2 Corintians gave me perspective on Sarah's and my own life. These last 2 months have been some of our most difficult times in Siloam Springs. My actions are starting to change regarding adversity. At the beginning of 2010, my prayers were mostly, "God save us!" or in greek "Hosanna!" In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul talks about God comforting us in our tribulation, but also with the purpose of giving us the understanding to comfort others. There are situations where God does deliver us out of our difficulties, and many times where we need someone who is just to take up our cause. Here though, Paul is talking about endurance and strength and the impartation and encouragement to others.

Somehow, refinement was not on my mind when we moved. I want to think my spirit would have been willing, if I had understood with my mind. In early last year, my mind was thinking of a springboard into becoming this great leader in ministry. What I found in 2010 was refinement and a building of endurance. Oh, Jesus never left us or gave us more than we could handle. He is worth of praise. I was without a job for 6 months, yet we were always able to pay our expenses and bills. He gave me a great job working on computers. He really did grow us spiritually, leaps and bounds actually.

In December, some of Sarah's health issues intensified. We were praying to God for answers. There were some fruitful victories in prayer for Sarah and I. Many were praying on our behalf both in person and privately. Prayer brought some inner healing for some deep struggles. The physical difficulties persisted. We felt that the Lord's plan was for us to visit our doctor. This proved fruitful as well, though with its own hardships. Through this season of difficulty, Sarah and I have chosen to pray to the Lord and strengthen ourselves in Him. I know that this is a time of preparation for the next season of our lives.

I see two more fruits from 2 Corinthians that the Lord is building in our lives. First, in both enduring the trial and being comforted through the trial it is for the "consolation and salvation" of others. Paul was speaking directly to the Church of God in Corinth and the region of Achaia. We love being equipped more and more to impact NW Arkansas and NE Oklahoma. Our calling is also to the nations. We look forward to the day when we are released to other cultures.

Secondly, Jesus is wanting to firmly establish us in Him. In verse 7 of 2 Corinthians 1, Paul expesses that his hope for the Church in Corinth and Achaia is steadfast. Paul knew what consolation they would receive, because he and those around him experienced the same consolation. We want to be rooted and grounded in Christ, so that we are able to stand firm in any situation and profess that Jesus is good and, that He is worthy of receiving all of our lives. We want to be like Matthew 7:24-25, building our house on the rock. We are very much in the midst of the refinement of the Lord.

Even in this season, we need to be reminded and encouraged of everything that I have written in our blog. If you are looking for a way to encourage us, remind us of His love for us. Pray that we won't be distracted from Jesus, come what may. Pray that we will turn to Jesus in every situation and for all of our needs. We need your accountability and fellowship. Feel free to check up on us, ask us how our lives with Christ are going, and find out what He is doing and saying in our lives.

Many blessings in Christ

Curt and Sarah

A Year in the Life of the Hollands

We have officially been in Siloam Springs, Arkansas for one year. Evidenced by our lease expiring and having to sign a new one soon. At first glance our year here has not been as expected, until you look under the surface at what is really going on. Our expectation was a season of new things and a season of growth. This is exactly what we experienced, but not how we expected.


We got caught up in moving and the exhilaration of moving to a new place. The first thing that we felt though was trial and hardship. Our first three months or so here were a bit of a crash landing. Let me say though, that there are not many better places to crash land into, other than the community here at The Pointe (our church and place of ministry). We were supported and encouraged through Jesus by our peers and mentors here. This looks like weekly being prayed for and ministered to in person.


Maybe you have experienced this also. Personally, what Jesus was telling me in my time with Him was matching up with the prayers and encouragement of the church around us. This is a small thing to a God that knows everyone and is speaking to everyone at the same time, through the same voice, the Holy Spirit. Interesting though that this is a revelation and such an encouragement to myself.


Here is just one of my cherished thoughts from our church at this time. Our friends David and Grace would pull us aside every week at church to pray for us together. It is so simple, intentional and personal. Their impact was profound to us, and we had only just met them in the last month or two. I know that the Lord impacts their lives and I have experienced their obedience to Jesus and the love that He poured out through them. I want to say to them "Thank you! You are a blessing from the Lord to us!"


Weekly and monthly we were growing in Jesus and becoming more and more familiar with His love. We were also growing in the Lord ourselves. It was why we moved, and the Lord answered our prayers and our desires. We are becoming more accustomed to how the Lord speaks to us in our hearts both through the Bible and through our outward actions.
In our outward actions, I am referring to 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4 where Paul reveals ways that Jesus impacts our lives. I am sure this knowledge was given to him by the Holy Spirit through revelation. I am also sure that he saw what he was describing on a daily basis, both in himself, in new believers in Jesus being developed and molded and in seasoned believers.


It is a joy to me to see others recognizing gifts from the Lord in themselves. I am sure that this understanding comes from God and not from the mouths of others or from the mind through thought. I love to watch the light turn in understanding, almost as if to say, "You mean that comes from God? He does things like this in me? Its a gift from Him?" I think the reason I love this so much in others is because it is still an intense revelation to me. God gave "me" gifts? And I get to use them all the time? And He is not going to take them away from me? I love His gifts, chief of all that he lived a perfect life, died on our behalf and was raised and He is still alive! He didn't stop there, He gave us the Holy Spirit. He is still living and active even now in changing peoples hearts and speaking to them! What a gift. Thank you Jesus.

We have a Blog!

It's in progress, and we have no idea what we're doing...but it's a blog! Hopefully we'll update here about once a month.

Peace!