A Change In Direction
Joanna and I have been in the middle of a transition for the past several months. We have decided to take some time off from the grind of ministry and church life. I resigned my position as an Assistant Pastor at The Church at Polaris in early February. It was an extremely complex decision that had been in my mind for quite some time. And it was probably the toughest decision I have ever made.
I turned 30 last month and although it is not a mid-life crisis point or anything like that, it did serve as a great reflection point. I have been in this career for 10 years. Joanna and I have been married for 10 years. There are some things were are very happy about in our life and there are some things we are not happy with at all. I know if I blink, I will be celebrating my 40th birthday and most of this stuff will have not changed. So we decided to make some decisions that we believe will be the best for us and our family. These next 10 years will be the most critical for Caden and our other children. I only have one shot at being a dad.
So that’s the scoop in a VERY simplified version.
Since that time, we have been working through what a new “normal” will look like. We have been heavily involved in ministry since we graduated from high school. Needless to say, this is an awkward time. I am going to go back to work for Paragon Management. I was a part of this company for a few years on a part-time basis when we first moved to Columbus. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to go back and be a part of that.
So… there it is.
March 14th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Kinda wierd to say this, but I think if I were in your position I would feel … relief.
March 16th, 2007 at 8:44 am
We understand.
March 17th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
If I could say what matters most out of this transition for us is the relationships we have with all of the staff at our Church. These are people that we have laughed with, cried with, bled with and the people we’ve established wonderful memories with. It has been an honor to be a part of something so amazing…that is what makes this decision so hard. In the end, we had to listen to what God was leading us to do and be obedient. I have loved supporting my husband 100% in his calling and know that this break will be a time of refreshing for us. Our hearts in this matter have been to walk and talk with integrity and honor the people we’ve been serving with. Thank you to my family who have been so supportive and amazing throughout this process.
March 19th, 2007 at 6:33 am
I respect that.
btw…I don’t know if I ever have said it, but your ministry that started 10 years ago, and met me around 9 years ago had a profound impact upon my life. I definitely give God the glory, but He used you (and Joanna) to help me see that the Christian life is about the relationship, not the religion. Thanks for reaching out.
(remember the sunglasses that one night at youth group when we played “I’m free”?)
March 19th, 2007 at 7:30 am
The SUNGLASSES! That was wild…. Actually, that was cutting edge youth ministry back then :)
March 20th, 2007 at 9:11 am
I think everyone will agree with me when I say that you guys poured your heart into the people you came in contact with. I know that Jennifer and I wouldn’t be where we are today if you didn’t see something in us that we didn’t even see in ourselves at the time. We understand the decision you had to make but you can look back on your ministry and see the fruit of your work. You’ve encouraged us all to be the best we could be and to love God with all of our hearts. This definately is not the end of your ministry…it’s just the start of a new chapter.