An Interesting Few Days
I've been away from the blog for a few days as Lynn and I were out of town Wednesday through Friday at a Free Methodist leadership conference in Atlanta. In many ways it was a wonderful time of being together with about 20 close friends from our home church in Columbus and old acquaintances from other places that I met during my ordination process several years ago.
The "interesting" part of the past few days began last Tuesday. I had just begun this blog a few days earlier as a way to process this time of "intentional obscurity" that I'm in. The pastor of a church we've "visited" several times requested to have lunch with Lynn and me last Tuesday. As we ate together and got to know each other a bit he enthusiastically welcomed us to connect with the church and encouraged me that there could very well be a place of ministry for us there. That portion of our conversation was totally unexpected.
Wednesday we left for the conference and over the course of the next couple of days were asked by different people to consider the following possibilities:
- Relocate to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina to lead a group of people who are searching for a church planter to help them plant a church.
- Relocate to Kentucky to assume the pastorate at one of several that are coming available.
- Visit Tampa, FL to consider planting or pastoring in Florida.
- Return to our home church in Columbus, GA to prepare for who knows what.
- To stay in touch with the superintendent of a particular conference regarding planting and/or pastoring opportunities in his region.
So...here I am, totally committed to remaining in this place of intentional obscurity for as long as God wants me to, yet hearing all of these voices of invitation. All I know to do at this point is to continue resting, praying, fasting, and trusting God to make His invitation to the next chapter of our life unmistakably clear.
More on the life of Joseph coming Tuesday.