A lot of people have been asking really good questions about why I have chosen to work outside of formal pastoral ministry for a season. It is a very personal decision, which I find difficult to explain in ways that others understand (or accept). The best language I have found, at this point, to help people understand is the language of the two C’s. What follows is the last newsletter article I wrote for Church in the Acres.
Three days from now I will be starting the first journey down to North Carolina. I am filled with feelings of excitement, anxiety, sadness, loss but most of all there is a sense of peace that we are following God’s invitation for our family at this time. Recently I was reading that we should not be surprised if people do not understand our decisions and actions as we seek to live in obedience to the Spirit’s leading in our lives. Too often the only way we can begin to understand or process what God is doing in another’s life is to try to make sense of their behavior based upon our own experience. The truth is that while there may be themes which are similar, or seasons that most people seem to progress through it is impossible for any of us to fully understand what God is doing in someone else’s life. As I have sought words to help explain my journey and the decision Nancy and I have made to leave Church in the Acres I found myself talking about the two “callings”. Calling, with a capital C and calling, with a small c. [Read more…]
