Welcome to the new Canaan Land blog, where we will be sharing news, prayer requests, and more from the ministry!
This blog has been long in coming, but last month God gave a clear prompting: “just begin, and begin now; don’t worry about getting everything right the first time.” So, inexperienced and unsure as we may be, we are starting a blog. As we head into the New Year, a popular time for resolutions and new starts, we have our own fresh endeavor. Our hope and invitation is for you, believers near and far, to read, pray, and share with us in our victories and in our challenges, to journey with us as we prayerfully and humbly follow where God is leading this ministry.
In many ways, the ministry of Canaan Land has been dormant for many years. While ministry never completely stopped, as some local churches can attest, Canaan Land has largely been in a season of waiting and expectation regarding the full scope of God’s calling for us. In the past few years, however, God has begun to move and to prepare us for a time of active, full-time ministry.
How do we know that God is moving? How do we know God is preparing us for big changes? The full answer is long and somewhat complex, but a few pointers may suffice for now.
The first of these is that Canaan Bible Book Shop, the bookstore owned and run by Canaan Land, now has a live online store. Customers from across the U.S. can now order Bibles, and a small selection of other merchandise, from us. While this may not seem hugely significant, the website has been long-discussed but long-hindered in various ways; its advent feels like a spiritual breakthrough! One obstacle is that the bookshop has a surprisingly large inventory and none of it had been digitally catalogued before creating the website; most of it still is not! There is still a lot of work ahead, but we are nonetheless grateful for this victory, which had been long sought and anticipated.
Secondly, for the first time in decades, we have a resident at Canaan Land who has come for intensive, immersive ministry and discipleship. And thirdly, for the first time in decades, we have a Canaan Land Church. Through a beautiful and unexpected weaving of the Holy Spirit, these two developments occurred on the same weekend back in September.
Finally, we are convinced that the Lord’s hand is preparing a work here because the spiritual warfare has gotten fierce. This is less of a singular occurrence and more of a theme, but Canaan Land has been under persistent, and at times severe, spiritual attack. The most obvious attacks have been on health. Every resident and board member associated with Canaan Land has experienced health issues, often chronically, over the last few years; in some cases these have been very serious or life-threatening. Our ministry president, Eva, lost her ability to walk in less than a year. Our Vice President has often been unable to leave the house, or even the bedroom, due to debilitating migraines, nausea, and dizziness. Our Treasurer has undergone chemotherapy in recent years and recovery has been slow. Other board members have been hospitalized for different reasons; some have dealt with chronic instances of illness which have made it difficult to focus on much beyond basic daily life tasks. The image is grim. But, we have great hope in our Lord Jesus, knowing that the enemy resists hardest before a breakthrough.
That is part of why Canaan Land needs this blog. We long to grow in ministry, but right now the spiritual resistance is stronger than it has ever been, and we need help: we need the prayers of the saints. We need believers to be warriors with us, to fight not against flesh and blood but against the powers and principalities of the heavenly realm. We therefore invite you into this journey from wherever God has planted you. Please pray with us for health, financial provision, unity in the spirit concerning ministry decisions and direction, and let us see what the Lord will do!
Finally, we would love to hear from you! How is the Lord moving in your life? Let us know your prayer needs so we can pray for you too, or any words of faith or encouragement the Lord gives you. And if you are interested to find out more about Canaan Land and our ministry, please feel very free to ask. We will be sharing more details over time, through this blog, but we are very happy to talk with you personally about what we do and how you can be involved.
Be blessed in our Lord Jesus.