This has been a really emotional day. We've had lots of hugs and shed lots of tears. I had an especially hard time talking to my youth group, whom I love so much. They were crying and I was crying. Even if we didn't say much, at least we all processed our feelings a bit.
We have been so grateful for our time at Old Hickory. The elders have always taken good care of my family. We have been given a wide variety of ways in which we could serve and grow. They have allowed me to continue my education, and even paid for my Masters of Divinity. They have given me space to do some writing, which has led to me publishing four different curriculum books that I'm really proud of. We have had a great number of volunteers who have showed up and helped with every new idea I've come up with. We have never doubted that we are loved and appreciated at Old Hickory. We are not making this move because we are upset or bothered; it just seems like a great opportunity that we are really excited about starting.
At Kings Crossing, there is a lot we are excited about. The congregation relocated in 2006 to a new building in a rapidly growing part of town. They have some terrific people on staff that I can't wait to work with. The elders have a clear vision for the directions they want to see the congregation go, and I feel very humbled that they believe I can be part of this vision. We believe the congregation has terrific potential, and intend to work very hard to help them in whatever ways we can.We really love Nashville, and will miss some of our favorite hangout spots; especially watching the Nashville Predators play hockey. At the same time, living 15 minutes from the beach has some strong appeal for us, too. Corpus Christi is a neat town, and we believe we are going to love living there.
In all of this, my family has been so overwhelmingly supportive. It is hard to know we will be so far away from all of them. But they raised me to follow God, wherever God seems to lead us, and I appreciate that they are standing behind us, urging us to do exactly this. They have been completely unselfish about this, and that has given me so much personal peace.
We are not moving away from anything negative. We are trying to move toward something we believe will be very positive. We believe it is God's timing.
I am so thankful for the confidence of the elders at Kings Crossing, and we hope to have many happy and productive years working with this good congregation. This is a major move for us, but we know that God will take care of us and bless us, just as we've always been cared for and blessed, everywhere we have been.
We are so thankful for all of you who have blessed us in our ministry. Please keep our family in your prayers during this time of transition.
