God is Calling us Away - It was 26 years ago, 1988, and there we were, minding our own business… working hard, building a life and climbing a corporate ladder. And then we heard God say, “Go!” God, in his infinite wisdom and unique sense of humor beckoned us to leave behind our career and accept his calling to fulltime ministry. It wasn’t a quick or painless decision. Following God was the easy part. Making sure we were listening accurately and answering in obedience was harder. That call has since taken us to Des Moines, IA; Selma, IN; Angola, IN; and to Sparta, TN. Each move has been at God’s bequest, not ours. We loved each assignment and the people we ministered with. We were happy and content. And then God would call. Arriving in Tennessee was amazing. As in the past we saw a permanent future and serving here until retirement. In fact, I believe the scripture that best describes our style of ministry is 1 Thessalonians 2: 8: “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” We only know one way to live and love… with all we have. Fast forward to January 8th of this year, and there we were, minding our own business… when I opened our email to discover that God, was once again, calling. I don’t mean that God has a yahoo account. Just that he called to us, through a District Superintendent in an email. And it isn’t like we aren’t ‘in touch’ with God on a daily basis. But here we are… packing again. So, Sparta Church family, please understand: we were not looking for a change. We love Tennessee, our church family, the community, the people, the terrain, the food, our home… everything! Things are good here. The church is healthy and now only about three months from being completely debt free. Together we have become community connected, Kingdom minded and hungry to learn and love more. Because people will ask and questions will arise… know that we simply weren’t looking or searching around. We aren’t mad at any one and no one has hurt our feelings. We have been well taken care of. We are not trying to climb some ladder to ‘bigger and better churches.’ We were/are happy. But God called. When we received this ‘invitation’, we began to pray. We prayed and we prayed. We fasted and we prayed. We discussed it with each other, but more importantly we discussed it with God. We sought him in our prayers, in our hearts, in our worship and in His Word. Each time we looked, there he was, calling. When we listen, He always makes Himself clear. (2 Chron. 7) His word confirmed to us what the Spirit in us was saying. So we said, “Yes.” The first of May, we officially become Senior Pastor of the Shipshewana, Indiana Church of the Nazarene. This time, God’s call is taking us back to a district we served on for 19 years. With this move, God will place us precisely halfway between each of our kids and grandkids! This move will cut in half, the length of time it takes to drive and see our parents. We struggled to divide that part of this process from the rest, but God has assured us that he ministers to and uses all of us. He doesn’t compartmentalize us into pieces. That is flesh-thinking. His Spirit sees all (of us) and knows all (of us). This ultimately simplified the matter for us. The ONLY thing we needed to see that was the God that loves the folks at Sparta Church of the Nazarene and White County Tennessee is the God who loves the folks in Shipshewana, Indiana, and is the God who loves us… so our reason for accepting this call is simply this… that knowing God, that loving God… that God is calling. So, for our family who is SO excited, we rejoice loudly with you. For our Sparta Church, may this help you in those moments when you question Gods plan. For our new church family in Shipshewana, IN, we cant wait to get started and see what God has next. His plans are ALWAYS right! We value and count on your ALL of your prayers.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 17:43:11 +0000
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