Transition

 The word transition can be defined as the process of changing from one state or period to another. That is exactly where Brenda and I find ourselves. After five and a half years serving the flock of Spring Creek Baptist Church we are in transition to the Panhandle of Texas to start a new ministry at First Southern Baptist Church of Fritch, TX. This is not a position we sought. The church came after us after a friend sent my resume there without my knowledge about a year ago. 

It is tough saying goodbye to people you love and have served for over half a decade. We battled COVID together, saw many come and go, watched God provide to renovate our education facility, and provide a playground for children. We saw God add Pinnacle Christian School to our facilities and have mutually benefited from each other. We saw God start a thriving skatepark ministry outreach as well as one to a local substance abuse detox center we have showed up for the past few years each Sunday afternoon to proclaim Jesus to people from all over the United States. God has saved many. So many wonderful memories. 

Now we begin the last two weeks of our ministry at Spring Creek and in Weatherford, TX. Fritch and Weatherford could not be anymore different. Weatherford is a booming town with exploding population growth nestled up close to Fort Worth. Fritch is a small town of 1,800 people located about 40 miles north of Amarillo. It is closer to Colorado from Fritch than to Dallas/Fort Worth. Fritch was one of the towns scorched by the wild fires in the Panhandle over a year ago. 

It is never easy to say goodbye to people you love. The call of God on my life is to follow where He leads. It is evident that He is leading Brenda and I to the top of Texas. It is one big step of faith after another. We have no house to move to as of yet. Brenda has no job. We may actually start our ministry in Fritch living in a one room efficiency apartment in a town about half an hour from Fritch. There are more unknowns than knowns at this point. My salary from the church will be less than the salary generously provided from Spring Creek. The call of God trumps all of that. We go where God calls and never even discuss salary with churches we have served up front. That has never mattered. The call of God is the only thing that matters. 

So our days are busy with transitioning from life here to the unknown life ahead. We are leaving a son and daughter in law behind, Brenda's mother, two sisters, and their families all because we believe God heard the people of Fritch like He heard the man from Macedonia pleading for help to be sent. We are the answer to that prayer for Fritch. I hurt for Spring Creek. We love these people. It is not easy to leave them, but we believe God loves them more and will show His faithfulness to them. 

I know how Abraham must have felt when God called him to leave his country and family and yet he did not know exactly where he is going. [Gen 12:1-2] The transition would be easier if we had a home to move to instead of a temporary dwelling. God knows. We trust Him and are thankful for His provision of the efficiency apartment until we are able to secure permanent housing in Fritch. We trust God will do something amazing because He rewards those who live by faith. [Heb 11:6]. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. [Heb 11:1] By faith we believe He has a home for us in the Panhandle. We wait and watch to see what God does next in our transition.