When I returned home after quitting my job, I walked into my
home and saw my family of four waiting at the door. I fell on my knees and grabbed the nearest
child and buried my face into her neck.
I sobbed lightly. Did I make a
mistake? Should I call them back and
apologize and plead with them to take me back?
My wife put her arms around me and whispered into my ears, “I love you
and I am proud of you”. I looked into
her eyes and smiled and squeezed her hand.
I laid on the floor and allowed my children to climb over me, it was
their favorite thing to do with their father.
After the kids were put to bed, my wife and I spent some time alone in
prayer and meditation. We were not certain what to do. We knew God had something in mind for us, but
we were not sure what. We knew it was in
the ministry, but we were not sure where.
I carefully planned out a speaking tour and asked God to give me some
churches to speak at. One of my closest
friends asked me what I was going to do.
With feigned confidence, I boasted, “God will give me something in two
weeks.”
Two weeks was coming to a close and I had contacted many
churches. My wife had traveled with a
group of church women for the “Women of Faith” conference. That night as I was at home alone with the
children, after putting them to bed I checked my email. There was one in my inbox. Before I opened the email, I prayed:
“God, I place my trust in you. I know you have a plan and a place for my
family. Show us where you would have us
to go. My faith is the size of a mustard
seed and I am doing everything I can to hold on to it and let it grow. Give me a church to preach at Lord.”
I opened the email.
It was from a church in north central Ohio that I had contacted a few
days before. They were looking for a
pastor but they were also looking for preachers to come to the church to
fill-in on Sundays. I volunteered my
services. They were interested in having
me. My heart leaped within my soul. Tears of joy welled into the corner of my
eyes. I wiped my eyes and read the
letter and reread the letter. I raised
my hand in glory and praised God. I
called April and shared with her the news.
I could tell on the other end that she was as relieved and as excited as
I was. It had been exactly two weeks since my proclamation uttered with feigned confidence. We set the date of September
18. It was only the beginning. God had opened many other opportunities. Some have shut but others remained
opened. The month leading up to my first
speaking engagement was a whirlwind. It
was also a blessed time of rest and relaxation for April and I as a friend
volunteered to keep our kids for the weekend.
We would be alone. We stayed in a
hotel not far from the shores of Lake Erie.
We napped, we ate, and we napped some more and we enjoyed the sights the area had
to offer. That Saturday night was filled
with laughter and blessed fellowship along with delicious food including Cotton
Candy ice cream. It was over too soon. A task still laid before me. I was to preach. That night, I could not sleep. I spent the late hours in prayer and
meditation as I focused on the task ahead of me.
On Sunday morning we made the 35 minute drive to the church
amid the farmland of north central Ohio.
We came to a beautiful older but well-kept church atop a gentle sloped terrain. The spirit within the church was sweet. I gave it everything I had and trusted the
Spirit to work within the hearts of the people.
After saying goodbye to the wonderful folks, we began our return home to
our kids who were waiting for us. I
looked over to April and smiled. She
looked back and smiled in return and then said “I can see us there.”
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