Not surprisingly, life has gotten crazy busy with a ton of details lately. Monday I submitted my letter of resignation to Central. It was mailed and emailed to the congregation on Wednesday. I have been so blessed by dozens of conversations this week with people who want to both express their grief at our leaving Central and who want to wish me well and share their excitement for my new position at Calvary. What a gift!
We have been prepping our house to sell -- new carpet, new paint, patching up nail holes and generally fixing all those detail things that needed fixing but didn't get done until it was time to make the house look good for someone else. And, like most people, we look at the old house and think, "Gee, I don't really want to leave here!" It's been a great house, of course. All through this process I've felt a little like Abraham being told to go, but not where (exactly) to go. It must have been hard for that old man to leave his familiar surroundings and his people behind, too. Who knows? Maybe God asked Bert and Mike and Sam to go as well, and they all chickened out. We never heard their stories.
I remember a poster that hung on the wall in a student lounge during college. It said, "The secret of life is this: To be ready at any moment to release all that you are in order to achieve all that you may become." You've got to be a little careful with a statement like that, because taken to extremes it can mean that you keep throwing away good things in hopes that the next shiny object will be better. That's horrible. But with tenacity and discernment being your default position, it's important to be willing to let go of good things in order to grasp best things.
That's the kind of God we serve.
Just when I think I am able to wrap up with a wonderful little bow ALL of the gifts you have given me through your spiritual teachings, you throw this one at me. Glory to God that He is setting two firm examples up before me through you and Pastor Sonja. You have both, of course, established yourselves and rooted yourselves far deeper into Central's soil than myself, which really gives me all the more confidence that you are both two exceptional examples of "Go" when God says "Go".Do I really want to be Bert, Mike or Sam. no. Praying that I learn through your example to step out in Faith and Go. Thank you Pastor Jeff for ALL of the opportunities you've given me and the bending of the ears over the past few years especially. Central has felt like home away from home because of people like you and for that I am eternally grateful.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words! You are doing a fine job of rooting yourself and growing toward exactly what God has prepared for you -- I have no question! And I firmly believe when you find that right thing, you'll be all in. It will be fun to see just what that looks like!!
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