Monday, April 25, 2016

The Adventure Continues...

Side note: I wrote this post a month ago. However, I'm just now posting it because there are a number of people that needed this news to be told in person. Now that is done, so back to your usually scheduled programming...

I'm struggling with how to write this. What are the best words? I've started typing away only to get a paragraph or so written out before deleting it all and starting over. But why is it so hard? At this point mostly all of the people we care about most and who will be directly affected by the news already know. We've already pushed through the hard parts, the difficult conversations. Sharing it with the general public shouldn't be so tricky.

I guess it's because I'm a details gal. I like to know every fact and feeling that goes into making a decision. Big picture is great, but the good stuff, the meat, is in the details. And in this particular instance I feel that the details, the whys and hows, are really important. This big picture might not make sense without the pieces that created it.

...but there are a whole lot of details. We're talking about a decision that was recently made, but was sparked almost 8-9 months ago. How do you begin to break down that process of moving from point A to point B over the span of almost a full year? Maybe I'm making this too hard for all of us?

How about this. Let's start with the big picture and work out the details from there. Deal?

Okay. Phew. Here we go.

Adam and I have resigned from our positions at Family Worship Center. We announced this to the congregation and to our youth (almost a month ago.)

In addition, Adam (along with his super-supportive wife) has chosen to join the Army and will be leaving for Basic Training at the beginning of May - one week from today. Meanwhile, I will be spending the summer at home in West Virginia with my family. After basic and his AIT, which will be completed in mid-November, we will move to our assigned duty station.

Over the last year, God has been working us both through the process of separating our calling to be pastors from our profession. The process looked completely different for both of us but it brought us to the same conclusion. We have dreams and desires for our lives and ministries that can't be completed in our current positions. We felt God calling us onward and we've watched Him close and open so many doors throughout this process that we are certain we are doing the right thing.

Not only that, but let me tell you about the peace. This whole decision is just wrapped in the stuff. You'd think the prospect of my husband having a job that will most likely require him to enter a war zone at one point or another would totally freak me out. As mentioned (many times) before, my natural inclination is to worry before there is anything to worry about. But not here.

I've repeated to God so many times over the last few months, "just show us what you want us to do." I wanted signs. Peace was the biggest sign for me. Recently, I was listening to this podcast by Havilah Cunnington and her advice in making big (and small) decisions was "follow your peace." This resonated with me so clearly because she just put into words what I was feeling. My inner dialoguing self jumped up and down with hands in the air yelling "YES! YES! YES!" And let me tell you, this peace isn't mine. It's all God's. I believe I am fully experiencing that peace that transcends all understanding because if it made sense to me I'd totally be panicking. But peace just continues to prevail. And I can't begin to explain how comforting and wonderful that is to walk in.

So yeah, there you go. Not a whole ton of details, but hey, who needs those anyway!? This decision wasn't "easy." It hurts that we have to leave the friends we've made here and our youth kids - they're seriously the best and I'm gonna miss them like crazy. But I'm trusting that God has His reasons. It might not make total sense now (or ever, this side of Heaven) but I believe my God is good and I'll willingly place my life in His hands.

And as always, the adventure continues.