It's a Journey

I had it all planned out. I was saving money, working all the time. I didn’t really make time for anything else, but that was OK. I was going to buy a house. Not just any house… my first house. And it was going to be CUTE. A garage, an extra bedroom, and decorated to the nines. I could see it. It was all I talked about, and it was all I was working towards.

Problem was (as I mentioned before), I was working all the time. And I didn’t have time for anything else. Of course there was the occasional night out with the girls, conversation with the parents, but work took precedence over everything. I loved my job and where (and what) it was going to get me. I was so focused on me. Me. Me. Me. There wasn’t time for good friends, good relationships, and most notably God. My God, who had been there for me through thick and thin, was missing from my life. Oh well. I was going to buy a house! Buy my independence!

Of course God was always in the back of my mind. Poking and prodding me here and there. But I pushed him aside, focused on what I wanted. Where I wanted to go. What I wanted to accomplish. I told him I’d come back - just to wait while I fulfilled my dreams.

Then I was thrown for a loop. The job that I loved so much suddenly changed. I worked for a relatively small company with about 20 employees. I had established a great relationship with my boss, who was also the founder and president of the company. From day one we had a great working relationship, were mutually trusting of one another, and made a great team. One day in late February, however, I learned that this man that I admired and respected was not all that I thought he was. Without going into too much detail, I will say that he showed me that he was not as trustworthy or respectable as I had imagined, and that he was not the “father figure” that he made himself out to be.

For the next few months I struggled with where that left me. As much as I loved what I did for a living, I couldn’t respect myself if I remained with the company. But I had my entire identity wrapped up in what I did for a living. And all of my plans depended on that paycheck - without it I couldn’t buy that house that I had dreamed so much about.

At almost the same time all of that was going on, I was invited to attend a church service at a new church called Mosaic with my co-worker, Cyndy, and her roommate, Shana. With everything that was going on, I was feeling pretty down, and that poke God was giving me was a little less daunting. So off I went one Sunday in February, and WOW did I find out what I had been missing. I became involved in the children’s ministry almost right away, and met an amazing group of people. And I discovered the compassion that God has for a hurting soul - even one that had been turning him away for the past few years. Through God, lots of prayer, and the support of some great friends, I finally found the courage to leave my job in May. I also finally stopped working towards things that were solely material. I learned that the greatest things come when fulfilling God’s will, not my own.

When I met Craig and Patti (on their second night in Charlotte), I was taken right away. Not only did they have the 3 most adorable kids ever, but they were such friendly, compassionate people - and passionate about God. When they told me they were going to start a new church in Memphis I thought, “How cool would that be?!” From that point on, every time I heard them speak about their move and their ministry I had such a desire to go along. Just a desire, though - I wouldn’t really move to Memphis. Away from my family, away from a place I’d just learned to call home over the past couple of years. But God had already cut my strongest tie to Charlotte (my job), and had prevented me from making another strong tie (the house). So after much prayer and the discovery that my two dear friends (the ones who led me to Mosaic) also felt compelled to go to, we all finally made the commitment.

So Memphis - here we come! To meet new friends, new family. To minister to other souls, just waiting for that one final prod that will bring them back to God. There is still a lot to be prayed about - for us and for everyone else making the move. But that which is done to fulfill God’s will, God’s plan, can only be good. So now we’re off to love on Memphis. See you there!