Back when Jeff and I chose the word “run” for 2018 I had no clue what challenges God would give us—or how often the chorus of the Jackson Browne song “Running on Empty” would pop into my head especially near the end of the year! I can’t believe it’s been almost six months since my last blog post.
At the end of 2017 we sensed we were biding our time in part-time ministry, feeling as if we weren’t fully using our gifts to build God’s kingdom. Our youngest son would graduate from college in May 2018, and we wanted some new challenges in life. We wanted to stop walking and RUN!
The Youversion study we’re doing to end 2018, “One Word That Will Change Your Life,” says the practice of choosing a word for the year will stretch people “spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally and financially.” All I can say to that is “amen”—and I wish I’d read that before choosing “run”!
Jeff changed jobs. We sold our house in Wakarusa, IN and moved into a parsonage in Plymouth, IN. We changed churches—a couple of times. I preached twice a month at a small church waiting for a pastor to be assigned. We left our support groups behind. We were appointed to lead a church much larger and more active than we anticipated. We taught too many classes at Bethel College this fall. If it’s true that “God delights in life change” he must be delighted in us this year.
Overall 2018 has brought so many blessings—really nothing bad happened to us. We’ve been running into the sun, but too often I’ve felt as if I were running blind. We’ve lived out the truth that even good stress is stress. I confess to being glad I’m leaving “run” behind when 2018 ends—and looking forward to slowing down enough to get back to writing more regularly.
At the end of 2017 we sensed we were biding our time in part-time ministry, feeling as if we weren’t fully using our gifts to build God’s kingdom. Our youngest son would graduate from college in May 2018, and we wanted some new challenges in life. We wanted to stop walking and RUN!
The Youversion study we’re doing to end 2018, “One Word That Will Change Your Life,” says the practice of choosing a word for the year will stretch people “spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally and financially.” All I can say to that is “amen”—and I wish I’d read that before choosing “run”!
Jeff changed jobs. We sold our house in Wakarusa, IN and moved into a parsonage in Plymouth, IN. We changed churches—a couple of times. I preached twice a month at a small church waiting for a pastor to be assigned. We left our support groups behind. We were appointed to lead a church much larger and more active than we anticipated. We taught too many classes at Bethel College this fall. If it’s true that “God delights in life change” he must be delighted in us this year.
Overall 2018 has brought so many blessings—really nothing bad happened to us. We’ve been running into the sun, but too often I’ve felt as if I were running blind. We’ve lived out the truth that even good stress is stress. I confess to being glad I’m leaving “run” behind when 2018 ends—and looking forward to slowing down enough to get back to writing more regularly.