Monday, October 22, 2007

Change, from the hand of the Lord

Since I last posted here, my little world changed dramatically. On July 17, my senior pastor (I was the associate) suddenly left this world and entered the church triumphant. I was instantly catapulted into being the only pastor for a shocked and grieving congregation, not to mention his family. God supplied and I now have a new appreciation for what it means to do things in the power of the Spirit. As we progressed through the weeks that followed, I was humbled and honored by the congregation which allowed me to serve as the "acting" pastor and ultimately called me to become the pastor. This has been amazing in so many ways. God has provided; God has equipped; God has challenged; God has protected; God has called; God has answered.

I do not mean to say that we understand what God has allowed/is doing in our midst. But I do believe we have helped one another to stay close to Him while we do not understand. And it seems like we are open to being led in the next chapter of our life together. I always wondered how, if I were to serve as "the" pastor of a congregation, that might ever happen. I certainly never imagined it coming in this way. God has surprises for all of us; may we hold on tight to him as we walk/plunge!