Whew! The fall semester of my senior year at Faith Baptist Bible College has arrived! It has been a crazy journey from the get-go and I knew it would be. Between 18 credits, being in the Army National Guard, playing basketball, being married, and serving at my new amazing church…it has been a mad house to say the least. However, through it all, God has been so good and so gracious to me and Julia, even despite our “slip-up”.
“Oh, you had a slip-up?”…you might ask. “Why didn’t any of us hear about this?” Well, that’s why I am blogging about it…You see, Julia and I fell into one of the biggest traps of being in the ministry, and I, as the husband, take full responsibility for it. Looking back now, I am so glad the Lord showed us our mistake early on; and we are so grateful that He is still working in our lives to deal with it. I hope you might be thinking, “Wow! This sounds serious!” Well…it is.
During the summer, when we knew there was a possibility of serving at Prairie Flower, we had no idea what to think. Is this really where God wants us? In Iowa? In a growing church? In youth? The list of questions and doubts began pouring out of us like a dam that had burst. We knew what we had to do. We had to put our trust in God and focus on Him. We began preparing, fervently praying every day, digging into God’s Word, and asking Him to give us clarity, insight, and wisdom. We began preparing lessons, filling out paperwork, and meeting with the church leaders. By God’s grace, it went smoother than I could have ever imagined. It was all because of the Lord. Before we knew it, we were voted in and accepted into the church. Things were better than good, they were perfect.
That’s when it happened. It snuck up on me so fast that I felt like I was in the middle of an ambush back in Afghanistan! I couldn’t figure out what was going on. My Sunday School lessons were lacking, we weren’t connecting with people like we had at the beginning, we were exhausted, and I felt sick just getting up in front of the congregation to give announcements. What had happened?! I felt like I was drowning in an ocean…and the only thing I had to keep me from sinking into the deep, dark depths below was a pool noodle. What was I going to do?!…
Check out the blog next week to hear “the rest of the story”…
Jon, from my perspective you seem to be a person who is filled with joy in the Lord. You always seem to have a smile on your face and are willing to interact with people, whether it is in the Lobby during the meet and greet between Bible study and the main service, which I might add, is the perfect place to get to know people. When I first became a member of this church I didn’t spend much time out there talking to people. I changed that and it is one of the best things about Prairie Flower, I enjoy it so much. Anyway, I sincerely hope that you and Julia find that you have a home with us. As for the 18 hour study load, I have 18 hours this coming semester at Liberty University but I don’t have to work; God has provided for that for me. He is sufficient for all things. We are lucky to have you and your wife in our lives.