Changes

Two things have happened yesterday. Well perhaps on Tuesday with another yesterday. To start, Tuesday I woke to a phone call from the Lima, IL church. And then I started a new habit, holding office hours. Why is the latter noteworthy?

Office hours are the time that a minister is accessible to those who need to talk to him. It is place that is warm and inviting. It is also a time that allows for him to have a place that is quiet so that he can focus on his study, prayer and preparation.

Since I’ve stopped serving a church back in July, I have had no place to go. I would spend time at home. I passed my brother in short order on a game he had been playing online for a while before talking me into joining him. And though my creative juices were flowing again, they were still stymied even sitting at the huge desk in the middle of my living room. I needed to get out of the house, away from reminders of stressors that are ever present. AND NO! I am not referring to my family, but things like electricity, internet, etc.

(And to be honest here… The only sermon I have finished is the sermon I preached to the church in Minnesota. I really need to finish a bit more sermon outlines, at least. But I do have 7 series planned for the next 2 years.)

Now the question is where to hold my office hours. If you are a friend/connected to me on facebook, then you already know that the Winslow Public Library is my new office home. It makes sense. Libraries are usually quiet, and are designed for conducive study and even prayer, especially since the Library here was once home to the local Methodist church before they moved near the hospital.

Being at the Library and making it public, however, are two totally different items. Being that it’s a function of the City of Winslow, letting a minister to make it his base of operation can create unique problems. I was going to keep it on the down low. Then the fine folks there told me I could share that I am there. (I guess if people are coming to see me, then they are coming into the Library which means more patrons, which means more people of the community are served. It’s a win-win.) But the bottom line is that this was an answered prayer.

Now the Lima church is interesting. They called me to let me know that I am one of three finalists, and that on Saturday, they want to call all of us, one at a time, of course. I know that I am not the top of this list because of an answer I gave them to an unfair question. They wanted to know what I expected for a salary. I’m not going to answer here other than to say it’s unfair because Cost of Living varies significantly within the state, much less between regions of the country. My answer was based on Winslow AZ COL.

If you have not been able to follow my search journey from the beginning, this is not the first time I have made the trinity of candidates for a church. I have been in this trinity of candidates with Booker, Texas and perhaps even Forrest Lake, Minnesota. This is my transition to what happened yesterday.

I took the advice of a friend and called Booker yesterday. You see, the church called me nearly two weeks ago come Sunday. I was in the trinity. The elder revealed that the Board had just met and that I was the first to be called to check to see if I was still available. The plan was to get with the Board to see when they can all get together to meet so they can have final interview calls with us, all on one night, again. Then they would invite one of us for a visit and a yes/no vote. The elder assured me that it would be Tuesday or Wednesday when he would call and firm up the appointment time, anywhere between Thursday and Election Day. He then assured me that the Board believed that God has already led them to the right man of God with the trinity of candidates.

Well the day after the election and I have not heard from the church. Let me back up. When I was given the information, I began praying and asking several of you to pray with me that the other two candidates would have been blessed with more fruitful searches than I have. If I was the sole candidate, then surely they would continue with the final interview, and then invite us up for that visit and vote.

So I called. The prayers were indeed answered. Both gentlemen were already in their new congregations. I was sole. So the board decided to wait I believe to their next meeting this coming Sunday to discuss their options.

What are those options? They may consider me along with #4 & 5 on their list of recommendation. Or they may just consider me. So now my prayer is that of the top 10 gentlemen on their list, 9 of them have been blessed with new ministries already.

Now in this, I can see their point of view. They wanted to perhaps discuss the strengths of each candidate, perhaps not too different from when the Apostles selected Matthias to replace Judas. (Of course, I am only conjecturing as to how that process played out.) Yet instead of having such an opportunity, God had narrowed the field for them in a way they were not looking for, and therefore not expecting.

When God taps you on the shoulder when you least expect, asking you to do something you never imagined, sure that can be chaotic to the mind to comprehend. It is what I have been going through lately. I feel for these leaders of the church. I certainly don’t envy them having to prayerfully decide which pastor would serve them best.

I suspect the play is something like this: “God, we are going to lay these 3 men before you. Guide us to the one You have selected to serve us.” Then Brother Bob is tasked with checking if we are all still looking. Bob now has to tell the rest, “Brothers, we don’t have 3 men to lay before the Lord. We have one. What shall we do? Add the next two on the list?”

One of my friends asked me if I shared my prayer with the elder. I didn’t feel that it was the time. Perhaps they will need to see God’s hand apart from my pointing it out to them. As for me, what I am sensing is that God is telling me to wait, and to watch. From the prayers answered in the movements I have seen this last couple of weeks, it is nothing compared to what is coming. God is preparing both the church and me so that together, His name will be honored and we will be drawn even closer to each other.

So I am praying for God to shower them clarity and with His peace. And now I am asking the Father to have also blessed the rest of the list. I am also asking all of you to pray with me on this account. Pray that the Elders receive the clarity of God having already answered their prayer. Pray that all of other top candidates have had successful searches for their ministries. And pray for us to feel His peace.

To God be the glory, may His love flow through you, and thanks for sharing with me.

From the trail ==smh