Walking in New, Old Territory

Please excuse the seemingly, contradictory title but hopefully, when I've finished it will make perfect sense. OK, I'll settle for a little sense, since I've needed it for so long any way!

In January of this year I resigned my pastorate at the Narragansett Church of God after nine years of service there. It was a bittersweet decision because after so much of my life transpiring there I had truly grown to love the Church but I was convinced that I had God's leading, so we left. Unlike many "Preachers" I didn't have anything lined up or worked out as far as trading Churches. All that I had heard from God was that it was time to go. I was OK with not having an assignment to go into. After 9 years of driving at least 100 miles per week and giving all that I had of my heart, soul and finances, I was looking forward to a time of rest.

Things were going well. What had been my bi-vocational job was flourishing and I was enjoying a time of visiting Church's and listening to Preachers that I had always wanted to hear. In fact, I was getting very comfortable. I would get an occasional speaking engagement to stay somewhat fresh but I would have been OK to just stay the way that I was. I should have known better because I found out long ago that comfortable is not a place that God will leave you for very long!

Toward the end of May the phone rang and it was my Administrative Bishop, Darrell Rice. Bishop Rice is a man that I have long respected and am privileged to call a Friend. However, I had not been bugging him about finding me a Church to Pastor or anything like that, even though I knew there were several openings in our Region. Many say that leaving a Church without having "the next one" lined up is career suicide in ministry but I always knew that I could call Bishop and that he would be fair. I just didn't want anything. I was good, just the way I was. The call would blow me away though because it was an offer of a Church. Not just any Church but the Church that my Father had pastored in the mid-70's. The Church where I had first met the beautiful Girl that would eventually become my Wife. The Church I had left as an awkward Teenager.

I must admit that my first thought was "yeah, right, I really want to go to where my Dad had one of his most successful pastorates!" I mean who would want that pressure? lol My second thought was that this was an honor to be asked because this was one of the more beautiful properties in the Region. The call ended with my promise to pray about it but honestly never expecting it to go beyond that. I was going to wait a few days, pray about it and call back and gracefully turn it down. I LIKED WHERE I WAS.

The funny thing about that is that God had other plans, as He usually does. To make an already long story longer, my thoughts would continue on this offer day and night. Before long I began thinking of scenarios of what I would do if----. After several weeks of not bowing out and sharing my heart with Debbie, Bishop Rice called again asking where we were at on the decision. I believe it was to his surprise that I used a Poker analogy, of all things. "I'm all in!" I could sense a stunned response on the other end of the Phone because Bishop had asked my to make some BIG commitments along with it but I had been given a sense of "being born for this moment" that hasn't left me yet! (of course it could have been that one of His Pastor's used a Poker term too)

We've been here since Mid-July and have fallen in love with the Church. It isn't where it was in the mid-70's by a long shot but we are growing and there is a genuine sense of expectation among the people. One of the things that God impressed upon me early on was that I was sent here to be a healer of hurts and I've gone after that with all that is in me. I believe we are well on our way to going beyond the hurt and into the future He has planned.

The funny thing is that even though it is new, there is a memory in every corner. Yes, I am walking in new, old territory but the best thing is that God is walking with me. In fact, He's already gone ahead! I'm just working to catch up and loving every minute of it!