Ministry

So I have been pretty quiet on the blog about being in the ministry. I use this blog mainly as a journal to  keep track of our family happenings. But, today I will change it around a bit and talk about our life in the ministry. 

For those that don't know -

As soon as Jess and I got married, we moved to North Carolina so Jess could attend Southeastern Seminary. We were there for 3.5 years and those years are some of the best memories. Jess and I both worked full time for a few years and then I stopped working when Canon was born. Jess continued to work full time, go to school, and be on part time staff at a local church. We reached a point where we felt the Lord was preparing us to leave seminary and get a full time ministry position. Jess worked it out where he could finish his remaining classes online if we were to accept a ministry job. Soon, the Lord opened up a door for church planting. We prayed about it, interviewed for it, and felt this was what the Lord was calling us to do. So we packed up and moved to middle TN. 

Church planting has not been the easiest, but it has been a wonderful experience. The people of Grace Church are amazing and we have seen first hand a lot of people grow in their relationships with Christ or accept Christ for the first time. We have developed some wonderful relationships and with confidence we call them our closest of friends. Our time in Tennessee has been some of the hardest times of our life (losing Will a month after coming to TN) but some of the best times in our marriage. The staff and people of Grace Church have witnessed a lot of our good times and hard times. We are so grateful for our time at Grace. Jess has learned so much and has used his gifts and talents the Lord has given him. 

With sadness and excitement the Lord has called us away from Grace Church. Jess has accepted another ministry position at another church plant as the Executive Pastor. The church is still in middle TN (about 45 minutes away from where we live now). While we are clear of God's direction in this move, I have learned that I am not one that looks for change. I personally have had some sad days about leaving Grace and our town. I love where we live, love our new house (we just bought our first house 4 months ago), love all the activities Canon is involved in, and love our relationships. I am a person that does not embrace change well. I was afraid to move to NC for seminary and it was hard for me to move to TN because I don't like change. Each move in our life has been wonderful and the Lord has sustained us through every move and situation our life has faced. As one of my dearest friends said recently, it is obvious the Lord uses Jess to lead you because change is hard for you. This is so true! The Lord will bless the time at our new church and sustain us through all the changes (moving, new relationships, changes for our children, etc). 

As our last Sunday at Grace approaches (this coming Sunday), I am sad, but I know this is what the Lord has for our life. Even though the change is hard for me, I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our new ministry. Please pray for us as we minister to the people in our new town and in our new church. Please also pray for our family as we transition.