Tides of Change

Tides.  Wouldn't that be nice?  Beach and the Ocean?  I've essentially spent all of my summer in California and will be going back again at the end of this week, but I haven't been able to go to the beach! 

However, I do think this post is an apt designation for the changes going on in both my life and the lives of so many around me. 

One of the tides of change is family.  Three weddings in my family this year and 1 new addition.  As momentous and wonderful as these events maybe, an even greater indication for me is hearing about what some of the younger members of my family are gearing up for.  My cousin's daughter, Meliza, gearing up for her first mission trip!  She's graduating highschool next year!  Time flies by quickly.  I know she, her family and church would appreciate your prayers.

Church and my church family at First Southern Baptist Church.  We are undergoing lots of change.  New Pastor this past fall.  And God doing some shuffling w/ our staff.  Bringing in some new people and calling away some dear friends and mentors to serve elsewhere.  I will especially be missing Pastor Loren Minnick and his family as they move to do music ministry in Las Vegas!  I know God will use them mightily where they are as they seek to obey Him, but they will be missed. 

I know God has got some new growth in store for FSBC.  Sometimes it can be stressful thinking about the future.  If you think of life as a chess board, panic and fear easily set in if you look at thins from a pawn's point of view, one square at a time.  But when you zoom out and see how God is arranging pieces and get a sense of what is coming there is great hope for the future.

At Christian Challenge we are undergoing some change as well.   We have a brand new ministry team and many of the new leaders are new sophomores.  It's exciting to think that should be around another 3 years.  But we have also lost some core senior leaders from our ministry.  We also have a relatively new staff.  This is my second year on staff at Challenge, and while Julie Evans is no stranger to Christian Challenge, she is still relatively new in her role as director at Challenge.  However this is exciting too because all the students with the exception of the students have known Julie as director in their college career.

I'm excited about the coming semester because we have a 10 solid young men onboard to serve with us this year.  I'm really hopeful about what God might be doing in creating a culture of strong Christian males at Christian Challenge.

Epic church is undergoing some restructuring too.  There have also been several new married couples at Epic.  I really do love the people there, especially Pastor Jake Rasmussen and the heart that he has for the people God has entrusted to him.  Please be in prayer for Jake as he seeks how best to direct Epic into the coming fall.

Personally I will be undergoing some change.  After this past month of Army training, I've decided to go inactive and process out of the Army.  I don't know whether or not I will come back into the Army, but I do know that for this season of life my Army commitment has been a distraction to the work God has called me to.  So I'm bye to the Army for now.  However, I will still submit my chaplain candidacy packet for the Army and North American Mission Board.

If I've learned anything this past summer is that I am over extended and been trying to float too many boats going in different directions.  So something I really hope to do this coming semester is learn to become more focused and how to say no so that I can fully live in the present.