Whenever a private citizen seeks to run for public office, his or her confidential life becomes an open book and subject to scrutiny.  If anyone sets out to pursue a leading or influential position in the public eye, people want to know that there’s nothing in the person’s character that could bring the party, company, or church down into disrepute.  

Everyone involved in public service knows that the higher up the ladder you go, the more the outside world looks at you—the more you become a target.  Your personal character, lifestyle, and even your family members will be placed under a microscope.  The perception of any public servant or leader boils down to the public’s trust of this person. 

The passage in Scripture that lends a background to what we desire is found in 1 Timothy 3:1.  The apostle Paul had given young Timothy a pastor’s manual.  In his letter, he spells out the qualities and character of a leader who desires to oversee and serve the people of God in a much greater capacity.  

Hence, the homestead, where the private sign is taken down as we welcome you to our lives—lives that are still in progress with our triumphant successes and painful failures.  This multi-generational family has agreed to aspire to a higher calling by prayerfully stretching ourselves in order to touch lives way beyond our appointed acreage and make a meaningful difference.  

It’s certainly a risk to put our lives out there, but then again that’s how we’ve always spelled “faith”—R I S K.  We truly believe that it’s worth the risk to open our lives with the task at hand knowing that the Lord is leading us every step of the way.  Scripture tells us when the people of God stretch themselves to serve his people as leaders or influencers, the goal itself is noble.    

By noble, we mean that everything we pursue, we pursue it with a spirit of excellence.  No settling for less, no half-measures, no falling short of the goal, and no excuses.  In our pursuit of excellence, we will surely fail.  But these failures, be they many or few, will seed our road toward success.  But more than success, we desire to be faithful to God who called us.  

So, we have set our hearts upon this God-given homestead.  This noble venture and vision will shape our lives as it will shape yours.  The task at hand, as impossible as it may seem, can only be possible through faith.  While we won’t have all the answers to homesteading, we will learn it as we do it.  And you’re invited to come along with us as we do it.                 

As we move through this homestead life together, we will experience the bright mountain tops along with the dark valleys.  And no doubt, we will be tried and tested down in the dark valleys as the Lord will shepherd us up toward the bright mountain tops.  But these difficult trials will only strengthen our faith in the Good Shepherd.   

I believe the late 18th century and early 19th century missionary William Carey excelled in encouraging the desire for this noble task of leading the people of God when he said, 
“Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”

Gicky Soriano