Transition

Last Sunday, the church I've attended (and helped start in the beginning) for three years announced that they were shutting the doors and merging with another church. This exact situation, I have never been through. But I have been through several church changes over the years. From switching churches to pastoral changes to leaving based on circumstances, I've certainly seen many sides of it all.

I know a lot of us are hurt by church change, particularly this one (for those of you who attended the same church.) A lot of us were part of it from the beginning, a lot of us have been through the processes of trying to find a new pastor. And if I'm being honest, I know a lot of us were feeling discouraged, even before this announcement came about.

I feel like I need to share my story regarding this last week. When I found out, it was the Friday before the announcement was made at church. Since I was at work, I couldn't deal with it then and there, and by the time I was going home, I had stuffed all the emotion back inside and just wasn't ready to deal yet (which is very typical for me if you know me.) Sunday, on the way to church, all the emotions hit me at once. I cried all the way to Exeter, and wasn't able to stop the entire service (which once again, is very typical for me.) I halfheartedly listened to the sermon, but spent most of the time just seeking God and praying for guidance. I knew in my heart the church we were merging with was not where I was supposed to be. Not because it's not a good church, it absolutely is, and it has a lot of doctrine I believe in. But I just knew I wasn't supposed to be there. But that left the question, where was I supposed to be? So I simply prayed. And prayed. And prayed.

That night at work was terrible. I had an all new-person crew, a very busy night, not to mention a headache from dealing with all the emotions of that morning. The store was closing, but there was one last group of people on the patio. As I went out to let them know I was closing, I noticed they had a Bible sitting on the table, something I always get a little excited about but never mention when I'm on the clock. So, they helped me bring in their table and I locked the door. I don't know why I did what I did next, but I promptly turned around and went back out to ask what church they went to. I've never, ever done this before. Being in a corporate world, you never know who you're going to offend. But it just felt right. One of the guys immediately started telling me that they were actually part of a church plant that would be holding it's first "preview" service on the following Sunday. Seriously God? I was in shock. I chatted with them a little bit about what I was currently going through with church transition and the need for church shopping. So they got my information, and I got the information about the church.

I still can't believe that happened. On my way home, I couldn't stop smiling and just thanking God. My prayer had literally just been answered in such a crazy way. Some would call this coincidence, I call this God. I spent the week in contact with the guy I had met at work, and praying about this opportunity. Coming from a church plant, I was a little nervous to just dive in and be part of it. But it also seemed too God-ordained to not be what I was supposed to be part of. I attended the service on Sunday, and from what I could see and what I observed, I'm all in. It was everything I could look for in a church. I was able to connect with some people, meet new people, and already build some community.

I'm not trying to sell this new church to everyone who may be going through the same transition I am, but I do want to encourage everyone who has been part of OVC to not just blindly go to another church because friends are going there, or because it's what everyone else is doing. Really ask God (with no ulterior motives) where you are supposed to go. He'll show you. You may not even like the answer, but God will show you. If you want to, check out www.launchthechurch.com. I'm glad I did. But ultimately, it comes down to prayer.

When it comes to change and transition, several verses come to mind:

Jeremiah 29:11
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'"

Philippians 4:6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens: 

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace"

 

Maybe those are all a little cliché because they're always used for this type of thing. But they all bring encouragement too, at least to me. I hope all of you who are in transition can find hope and peace through this. This type of transition is never easy, but I also think a lot of the time it comes from God as a way to build us up more. Pray. Trust. Follow what God is telling you. 

Learning

I've been putting off writing this for a very long time, simply because I quite honestly don't know how to start it. The last few months have been full of so much; so much learning, so much trusting, so much excitement. The lessons God has been teaching me lately have blown my mind. There have been so many instances where I've had to trust 100% that God was a) in control, and b) really knew what he was doing. This should all be obvious, yes? Well yeah, but the truth is it isn't our human instinct to trust God as soon as the hard times hit.

I guess the best way to approach this is break it down into three things I have learned recently - not learned because I didn't know them, but learned in the sense that they have truly been revealed to me and I simply can't ignore them.

1. Prayer
For literally as long as I can remember, I have been taught to pray. When I was little and used to pray, it started like this (literally every time...my poor mom) "Dear Jesus, thank you for this day, help us to be grateful and not be complainers. Please be with me and mom and dad and grandma and grandpa doss and grandma Rose and grandpa John and Breann....." the list would literally name EVERY single person I knew, and some I didn't...like the President, and I think I even prayed for fictional characters sometimes. Like I said, my poor mom. Yes, prayer evolved over time, but I never quite grasped what prayer could accomplish. Not having an agenda when praying is essential. James 1:5-8 tells us "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do." (NLT)

This has been proven to me over and over again, this week even! Praying with faith in God alone to give you answers is the only way to pray. You may hear a resounding voice that can't be mistaken for anything other than God, or you may not get an answer at all but find the answer in other events. But he answers it, every time, even if it's not the answer we're looking for.

2. God's Provision
"Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yes Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:26-34)

God's provision has been so, SO incredibly relevant in my life lately. By being obedient to his word and calling, he made himself VERY known to me and provided more than I could have hoped for on my own. In March, the door was opened for me to go on a mission trip (that was in June). In April, I went on a long vacation to Colorado for a friends wedding (not to mention a pricey one). In May, my car died and I had to find a way to get a new one. In June, I went on the mission trip. It has been four months of expense after expense after expense. I stressed about money most of the time, but kept hearing "I will provide" with each prayer...and had to turn around and ask for forgiveness for not trusting Him more. All the bills were paid. I didn't have to go hungry. Did I have to be more frugal and responsible with other spending? Yes. But in reality, that is just good practice, right? 

God's provision through the last few months has left me speechless and in awe. I think I needed to learn this lesson a long time ago, but it has been vital to learn it now (and still learning!)

3. Simplicity

"Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." (Matthew 6:19-21)

 

Clearly Matthew 6 has shown up a lot in my life lately. One of my favorite quotes is "May I live simply so that others may simply live" by Gandhi.  Not from the Bible, but the message is there. I have been leaning in this direction for a long time, but had never fully realized it. In all the honesty of the world, money has never been important to me. Possessions have never been important. Investment has never been important. Sure, these are all things that society says are important. But Jesus had a robe on his back and sandals on his feet. Reality is that to live, to truly live, you need Jesus, not wealth or even financial "stability" for that matter. Reality is that there are people in our very cities in America who have a roof over their heads and food on their tables and are happy. 

 

When I was in Mexico last month, our group was in a very poor area located right between TJ and Ensanada.  There were people living with 4-10 people in a small one bedroom home, and there were families with 4-5 people living in one room, which served as a bedroom, kitchen and dining room. But those children and their parents were some of the happiest people I have ever seen in my life. Are they grateful for people who choose to come help them? Of course! But are they also content with what they have and grateful simply for the air they breath? Yes! It was like something hit be between the eyes. How many people do I know who live in the US who have multiple homes, two or three cars, all the latest gadgets....but are always complaining, always wanting more, or always stressing about how to pay the bills? Yet the children we were teaching VBS to were saving the plastic colored cups we used for snacks and drinks (which most Americans would use for 10 minutes and then throw away), washing them, and taking them home because that was special to them. A plastic, colored cup! We observed this on the first day. A couple of days later, we went to the house of some of the kids to pray for their sick mom. When we walked in, I started to cry. Not because of the situation we were walking into, but because there were the cups; washed, dried, and on display...because that was special to them, and they were grateful. And yet we get upset because we can't buy a new gadget or expensive car or new house or....the list goes on. 

 

The fact of the matter is: storing up treasures on earth leads to greed and discord, and storing them in heaven leads to joy and gratefulness. 

 

God has convicted me tremendously lately about this. Live simply. I've dealt with debt in my past. I've dealt with money issues. I've dealt with greed. But I can look around now at what God has blessed me with, and I'm grateful. I have a roof over my head. I have food on the table (so do the cats) and I have a car to get me to my job. 

 

Now, please don't believe for a minute that I'm judging people who have "nice" possessions. I'm not. But be careful to be grateful for what you have, and to really evaluate why you have it. Do you have it because you're trying to gain status, or because you have been frugal and God has blessed you with it? Why are you investing? Why are you buying all the newest and latest things? Is it to be cool? Is it edifying to you? Does it glorify God? 

 

On that note though, let me discuss Mexico for a moment. Mexico was amazing. And eye-opening. I've known for a while that I was being called back to mission work/ministry. What that looks like, I still don't know.  But being away from life for a week and living in complete service to God....nothing is sweeter. It was such an amazing experience, but it was so clarifying to me that that is also what I've been missing out on. I haven't been involved in any sort of ministry or mission work in years. And I've missed it so much. 

 

So that's where I am right now. I can now see why a lot of doors closed over the last year. I've had my eye on the wrong things for a long time. But I've not only learned a lot about God, but also myself as well. I've seen what full and complete trust in God does. And I can see a lot more clearly what my purpose in Him is. 

 

Isn't God amazing?