Life is a roller coaster

Life is a roller coaster for us right now.  Yesterday was my last day at a place I spent 8 years of my life.  We had a wonderful party put on but there were some strange things that happened that I will choose to not get into, but trust me, they were strange.  I will miss my friend Chris who I wrote about last week and ministry will be different because he will not be a part of it day in and day our, but rest assured he will be part of any ministry I have.  These type things have had me high and low. 

I have a home that needs to sell and today we had someone come through which was a good thing.  We found out that this is their second time through and later we found out that our house is down to the final two for them to choose from.  This has us on the roller coaster ride but we also have someone very interested in renting it and we prefer to sell it but if we can not sell it then we will rent it. 

We are packing and say good-bye and looking forward to the wonderful opportunity that God has laid before us and this has us on the roller coaster.

In all this, life is not fair and that is a lesson that has been brought to a point in my life, but God is always good and this is part of the roller coaster.

So thanks to those who have been praying and I ask you to keep praying for us and for the house to sell.

Sunday ends an era for me

Sunday ends nearly 8 years of ministry at my current church.  I have served as Youth Pastor and then Pastor of Ministry and Fellowship and then sort of an Executive Pastors role.  I was asked in January to leave because …well it has never been real clear, but at one point I was told it was because the church is going in a different direction.  I have also been told I was too nice and could not be mean so I did not fit and a bunch of other stuff that I do not need to get into here.  I have accepted a call to a church as Senior Pastor which is a great thing, but right now I am thinking about my legacy here.  What will be remembered?  I think some of that will be answered at a party on Sunday after church, but what I want to hear is that people saw Jesus in me.  I know there will be lots of silliness because people do not know how deal with the hand I have been dealt and silliness is the easiest way to deal.  It is bitter and it is sweet.  

I pray people will remember me for Jesus being reflected in me and into their lives through me.

How do you want to be remembered?

Funny thing….

I came across on Vince Antonucci’s blog a funny thing by Brian Regan and I would say to go to Vince’s site and watch it.  I watched a few other of his videos on youtube and he is a funny guy.  Here is a awesome picture of the difference between men and women in the way they deal with friends.

Someone you should know…..

I have someone you should know and I have had the pleasure of spending almost 6 days a week with him for very close to 8 years.  He has been a friend through thick and thin.  He has been there through the most difficult of days that I have been through in ministry.  He is someone that I have laughed with and cried with and shared a lot with over the years.  He is honestly one of the brightest people I know but he is also down to earth.  These are just a few reasons why I think you should get to know him.

He has known that I do a blog for about a year or so but for many reasons I have not told him or given any link to it or anyone else for that matter.  Only those of you lucky enough to stumble on this get to enjoy it.  I am spending time now in my last week here reflecting on my last eight years in this church and I wanted you to get to know someone who has made the last eight years of my life enjoyable, fun, and exciting.  I am sending him the link to the blog so that he can now read it and see that I am more warped than he thinksJ.

He is an author , a professor, a pastor, musician, and most important to me, my friend.  He is truly one of the most gifted people I know.  His name is Chris Skinner or Rev. Christopher W. Skinner PHD.  He is a guy who has meant a lot to me over the years and someone whom I looking forward to seeing how God is going to continue to use him as we both move forward.  He has an awesome wife and family that he dearly loves and that have brought great joy and happiness to me and my family over the years. 

I cannot say enough good things about my friend.  I hope and pray all of you have someone in your life like I have in Chris.  I will miss getting coffee, laughing, joking, and generally having a great time with my friend every day but I will be talking and hanging with him on occasion.  My life is better for having Chris in my life.

Thank you Chris for being such a good friend and for making my life better!

When it rains…

When it rains, many times it pours.  My life has been turned upside in the past five months with many different things and stresses.  I got a call a month or so ago that my mom had spots on her pancreas and yesterday they scoped them and took biopsies of them.  The ride home for my parents from Pittsburgh was long because my mom started having pain.  It got worse and worse and then she got sick on top of it and had to go the hospital.  They believe that they did some damage getting the biopsies but she will be in the hospital at least till tomorrow and they can figure out for sure what is going on.  Please keep my mom in your prayers and my dad because he does not do well in these situations.

Sense of Excitement

The excitement is building as we begin the packing up and saying good-bye process.  There will be some tears and joys over the next couple of weeks.  I am so very excited about the opportunities that are ahead.  God is slowly giving me a vision for the church that I think that will be clearer as I get there and spend time with the people.  I am looking forward leading and read something that Perry Noble wrote that has stuck with me.  To paraphrase – Pray and seek God and do what he tells you to do – that real leadership in the church.  That is how I plan to lead forward. 

How is it that you lead?

I ask you to pray for the house to sell and the packing to get done and the stress of all of it to not get the best of us.  Thanks for your prayers in advance.