Jabbok

To keep you all up to date on the very fluid nomadic life that we have been living, the resolve is coming soon.  As I had said in previous blogs, I have been interim pastor for a small church on the coast.  We commute over on Thursdays and come back home on Sunday evening so T. can go to work at the university.  We have lived with the four days here and three days there since October.  Our official interim contract ends on July 1.

 And as I previously noted, their need for a full time pastor didn’t include me as an option.  But, as it turns out, I believe they would want me to stay.  As one mentioned, “If we need a full time pastor, and I think we do, it might as well be you.”  And for that I am honored.  And we sat, and talked about possibilities and decisions and numbers.  So much so, that my assumption is that they will discuss and come up with a figure to offer.

Which brings us to decision-making time.  Is that a clue for us to continue pastoring at the coast, or do we end the interim and stay where our roots are?  And once again T. and I find ourselves “wrestling with God” like Jacob at the river Jabbok.  We obviously want to do that which God wants us to, but the choices seem not to be choices of right or wrong, good or bad, wise or foolish.  I wish it were such the case.

But the decision seems to be a decision between two good things, and both with equal blessings and opportunities.  As my wife so profoundly put it, “the choices are between the easy choice and the safe choice.”  So on we wrestle.  Moment by moment.  Day by day.

 The “easy” choice would be to come back and settled again into our home, our home church, and our home town.  Here, we have a house, friends, contacts, T.’s job, and the familiar.  We have been here for quite a while and longevity brings about a support web of comfort and trust.

The “safe” choice would be to accept a full time position and serve the church as pastor and continue on seeing all of the growth, opportunities, and somewhat security of an income that would completely cover our budget.  For we have been living off of savings and T.’s part time income, due to our stepping out in faith and trusting God’s provision.  And this opportunity at the coast could very well be a way of such provision.

So we recognize that at some point we will need to supplement our income as the savings is running out.  We also recognize the importance of T. being at the University and her collection of supporting friends and women of counsel.  And we recognize the draw of the coast.  And we recognize the great ministry success that we have been having there, with baptisms, changed lives, and growth in maturity.

 
So we, like Jacob, wrestle through the night, not wanting to let go until we hear, until we are blessed by the One whose name is Wonderful.  So, we wrestle on, between the “easy” and the “safe”.  We wrestle and wait. 

We wait for our hip to be dislocated.