Thursday, June 12, 2008

4 weeks and counting!

Bear with me a second as I go back to my roots. Remember that song Time Is... where the artists formerly known as DC Talk sing Time Is Tickin' Away, Tick Tick Tickin' Away, yea that's right I just took you back 16 years(man has it really been that long?). Anyways that's exactly how Nic & I are feeling right now.

We officially leave Philly July 11, which is somewhat surreal and crazy to think about. I must note however that it depends what day you ask me if I'm excited to leave or not. Today was one of those days where I can't wait to be back in the great Blue Ridge Mountains but I digress. The next few weekends are pretty jam packed for us but we honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Our prayer for the last few weeks has been to finish well and though that can be challenging at times I feel like God has provided that for us.

Last night was our last 'official' small group and though it was sad it was really encouraging to see people not only reflecting on the past but looking towards the future as well. So just like we ended small group last night I ask you the same question-what are your hopes for the future? What do you want to see really happen over the next year? I know I've got a list going already.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The Big Decisions

I've had to make a few choices that were sure to define the next few years of my life. Where should I go to college? Should I ask April to marry me? Should I take a job in Philadelphia? The decision making process for me usually looks like this: think and pray about what I want to do, look for opportunities in the direction I feel is right, take a few small steps in that direction, and repeat. Eventually though, I come to a point of no return where I must make a definite decision, regardless of the fact that I have no assurance that what I'm about to do is right. This always makes even the most simple of tasks seem like a nail biting experience like pacing around the fax machine that holds my job acceptance letter, trying to talk myself into hitting the send button. When April and I started feeling a desire to work full-time with college students, the process was very similar.

Due to the positive experience we had being a part of a collegiate ministry as students, April and I have a shared passion for seeing God work in the lives of college students that led us to talk about working full-time in college ministry from even before we got married. After taking a few years to just be married, we decided to start pursuing this passion. Many small steps later, we had the opportunity to either accept the position at Virginia Tech or push it off and stay here in Philadelphia for at least a little while longer. We had no guarantees that we would like this, be good at it, or not regret the decision for the rest of our lives, but we did know that God had put this desire in both of us and that he had brought us this far already.

So it was with a very shaky voice that a few months ago I told the director over the phone that we accepted the position, a decision which will certainly define our lives for the next few years. We are now in the process of preparing everything for our move to Blacksburg, and even now we have seen God provide for us in many ways in response to pursuing the desire he put inside of us. We are still scared and at times unsure of this next step, but excited to see what God will do through us in the lives of college students.