So I'm the kind of person that tends to stick to his guns until I know it's time to shoot. I used to hate change. I loved things comfortable and routine, without having to step outside of my safety bubble of doing the things and staying at places where I was comfortable.
I may have been comfortable there, but I didn't grow much to speak of. I didn't have to use my discerning sense very much, neither did I need much wisdom. Life is easy when you don't have to make big decisions. Easy but dull.
I have considered the men in history who have impacted the world. I dare say they did not have their life mapped out, and simply followed their global satellite positioning device. I venture to say they made some radical moves they didn't have much of a sure idea where they would end up at. Think of Abraham. Who just packs up his belongings, leaves his family, home, land, country, and inheritance to follow an invisible God to I-know-not where, for the sake of what? For the sake of the plan of an Almighty God, who promises to do great things with a wayfaring stranger in a strange land, providing he stops listening to reason, and trusts his future to the invisible God who leads His children down the invisible paths of the plans He delights in.
Lately I have been faced with many decisions. Not just the kind of decisions you face at dinner buffets, but the ones that take you down new paths in life, with new circles of people. I can't guarantee that I have always made the wisest choices, or that I always will in the future, but one thing I know: I serve a God who said He will never leave me, nor forsake me. That's a promise that holds pretty strong significance and comfort for me, since I seem to have to constantly grope for the right path in life, without having a sure policy that I will never take the less ideal one.
One of these most recent decisions will bring some major changes in my life. By this I mean packing up my meager personal items, and leaving home to live in Tennessee for a year, if that plan holds out. I have no sure plan of what will take place after that, but I have general idea of the basic life template I am adjusting to in order to line up on the tarmac headed toward the goal of the ministry I believe God has called me to.
You may need a bit of my history to make sense of my jibber. From the time I was old enough to think seriously about life (it's debatable what that age may be) I have had dreams of serving in some type of ministry that is active in telling people God's news. In more Christian terms, I have always had a passion for the evangelism of the world. I know, it's a grandiose and ambitious passion, as the world is not as small as most people believe it to be. But I have always dreamed that someday I would get to be in on what God is doing across the world. While my peers reveled in the excitement of new breakthroughs in sports and hunting, and other great things in life (with all due respect to sports and hunting) as much as I tried, I failed to spark an interest. My interest was more piqued by news of new breakthroughs in Christian missions, both domestic and abroad. This doesn't mean I am more of a christian man than my peers (heaven knows better); it just means I am trying to state the passion God has placed in me.
I was privileged to be included on a series of short-term mission trips to Haiti, where I quickly fell in love with missions. After one of these trips, in which I was involved in a seminar for the pastors of churches in the mountains, I came home knowing that I would never be able to live a normal western life, chasing the great social phantom of the American nightmare. I knew there was a world out there, calling for something that was in my power to give. It was not money. It was God's news.
Several things have happened since then. I started college (a big decision for an ex-amish kid like me), not knowing for sure what degree I would work towards. I thought I would get a BA in english, to be a teacher in order to teach abroad as a means of support. I heard of people doing this, but I didn't really know if it was for me.
Then, through a strange and very nice series of events, I became exposed to the world of bible translation. I was immediately attracted. For one, I love languages, and anything related to them. For two, I was much stirred by the needs of thousands of language groups, adding up to millions of people across the globe, who have no access to God's news in their language. The only way I can imagine what this would be like is to remember my life before I cared much about God's word. It was no great way to live.
Long story short, I am now organizing my life into a plan to take the necessary steps to translating the scriptures into other languages. One of my options, and a likely one at this point, is Wycliffe Bible Translators, located in Dallas, Texas. At any rate, the next few years of my life look like they will likely be filled with work and study.
Which brings me back to the decision of moving. My current job, while it was wonderful in that it was at home, and it was flexible, which allowed me to do many things I wouldn't have otherwise been able to, simply doesn't churn enough cheese for me to go to school on. I prayed for a new job to open up, and immediately (to my surprise) I received a phone call from Tenn. telling me of some good-paying job openings I could fill anytime I wished. It didn't take me very long to bite.
I understand that I am leaving many worthy friends that have contributed more to my life then they may know. I also understand there are some of you who will question the wisdom of this move. Understand that this was not a rash and spur-of-the-moment decision. I have known for quite some time now that I will not always live where I currently live, and go to the same church. I'll be honest. I don't know that I will be returning to be a part of my current church or not. There are significant differences between us that have made me conclude it may be healthier for both of us to part ways. I don't mean that I am a better christian, or that I have better walk with Christ. I simply mean that sometimes believers have different approaches to the christian experience, and in their vision for christianity. I believe it to be healthy for likeminded believers to partner for the sake of Christ as much as possible. I am simply adjusting my life toward that belief.
This does not in any way imply that I no longer need my friends and brothers in sisters in Christ. I still treasure your friendship, and need your support. I promise to make as much effort as you do to stay in touch, and to keep you updated.
All prayers for God's will to be done are tremendously appreciated.
