Not Fair

The last week and a half have been some of the most difficult times we've had in ministry. We have been thrown a curveball and are currently doing our best to honestly seek God's will and not our own. A conversation with our girls pretty much sums it up:

Nate: Girls, I need to talk to you about something very important. Another church in Orchard Park, NY wants Daddy to come be their pastor. We don't know if we are going to live here in California or move to New York.

Jenna: What happens to Mount Olive if you aren't their pastor?

Nate: I don't know.

Jenna; What happens to the other church if you aren't their pastor?

Nate: I don't know.

Jenna: Well, that's just not fair.

Abby: (Too busy to say anything because she is attempting to eat her spaghetti without any utensils. Picture a faceplant in the plate.)

Nate has received a Divine Call (Lutheran speak for job offer) to be the pastor at St. John's in Orchard Park, and I never fully understood the "divine" part of a call until this past week. Yeah, I know that God has his hands in everything, but we have experienced God in ways this past week that we never have before. Nate asked God to help him discern His will for us in a very specific way, and God is showing up. Big time. He asked him to help him figure out what to do through his dreams. Sounds a little crazy, I know, but God works in all kinds of ways, and he sure has been working overtime here. 10 dreams in 6 nights. God is also speaking through other people. Some in our church, some old friends, and some people we barely know.

. . . We did not seek this call out. We did not have Nate's name out on a call list and we are not looking to leave Mount Olive. The past four years here has been amazing. The people are wonderful, the ministry is wonderful, and we are happy here. But it is clear that God is doing something with this process and we are working hard to figure out what that is. Is He growing us here or moving us to New York? Considering this call is a matter of obedience at this point. When God speaks, we listen. And God is speaking.

Next week, we'll all fly out to visit St. John's and Orchard Park and will have a decision soon after. Please pray for both congregations involved and for us to discern God's direction for our lives. The thought of leaving our church, our friends, and our life here is very scary. We love the people of our church--they have been our partners in ministry and life for four years. And seeing the sadness and disappointment and even anger in some of them has been especially difficult for both of us.

In the end, I know that God is good, in control, and ultimately knows what's best. And that is a huge comfort to me.