A New Chapter for All of Us

Before I married Tim, there were multiple times I experienced the gut-wrenching, heart sick feeling that sweeps over a person when the pastor announces He is leaving. It is a feeling that is incredibly complex and difficult to describe. Tim and I have been dreading the moment that arrived this morning when we let Lawrence Chapel know that it is now our time to be leaving.

September 14th will be my family’s last Sunday at Lawrence Chapel, and we are sad to leave the wonderful people we have come to know and love. We will still be serving them – but not as pastor. As of October 1st, we will be home-based just outside of Nashville where we will serve as the state evangelist for Tennessee. Tim has a burning in his heart to preach the Gospel, to see the lost come to Christ, and to see believers catch the fire of the Holy Spirit. As a dear friend and fellow minister once told us, "When the Lord gives clear direction, God's ministers have to follow."

These two years at Lawrence Chapel have been wonderful, and we have known that we were where God wanted us to be and doing what He wanted us to do. God has been very good to our family and He has blessed us greatly here. The church has also been blessed during our time here, and we know that it will continue to grow and thrive under the leadership of the new pastor. When God changed the direction of our ministry, He also had specific plans for the congregation at Lawrence Chapel. God is working in the heart of the church’s future pastor, just as He is working in ours. And Lawrence Chapel will see great things from God as they seek and trust Him.

We intend to seek and trust God, as well, as we embark on a new journey – and it is a journey. Evangelism is not the stable, secure environment most families dream of, but it is invigorating and life-giving to those whom God has anointed to do it. Tim has often made the comment throughout our ministry time together that he knows what Jeremiah was talking about when he said, "…His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot."

God has everything in control. He has a plan for the people of Lawrence Chapel, for the pastor who is coming, for my family, and for the churches in Tennessee. Isn’t it wonderful to know that He is the One in charge and He does know best. He only asks that we seek Him, trust Him, and follow Him…that’s not difficult for me to do when I consider that He saved my soul, and He lit up my life.