Making decisions

Whew it has been a week. I want to express my feelings over the past 5 days and attempt to write it down. I know that I will want to look back on this in the future and see where I was at this point and compare where we are as a family.

I have made it very clear on this blog that church family is very important to me. For Cameron and I it might look different than your church family experience but I know that each person has different relationships with different people. We actually go to church with our blood family. ALL OF THEM! :) Well immediate family actually. My parents, my sister and her family, my in-laws and my sister-in-law and her family when they are here. So we are together every Sunday worshipping our Father. It is great to share in this with our kids. They get to see that we are all on the same page as far as how the church fits into our lives. It is a wonderful feeling. Through forming friendships we have seen that many of those relationships have crossed the lines between friends and family. We now have a much larger family and that has been so exciting to see over the past 3 years. I feel as close to some women as I do my own sister. Cameron has gotten involved with some men who have shaped his faith in a way that is pure and so spirit filled. He was appointed a deacon in February 2008 and was given confirmation of his journey and work. All that to say, somewhere along the way the lines between family and friends got blurred. I love it! :)

On Wednesday of last week our Pastor got fired. I wish there were a more eloquent way to say it. I could say he was let go, or dismissed but really fired is the word that portrays the feeling I want to get across. It was a total shock to him and his family. Besides some weird vibes from people over the previous days it really was not something he saw coming. To hear the news it was shocking and really a hard blow to my heart.

After seeking the Lord's direction Cameron and I had a few choices to make. The first decision was that we couldn't support the elders in what they decided. We did not see the biblical backing, justification of it and the process they used to carry out their decision. Immediately we knew our time at PCF had come to an end.

We then were faced with another decision.. Where were we going to call home? What would "church" look like for us now? We have done a LOT of church hopping in our younger days and didn't want to go down that path again but were prepared if that is what the Lord had in store for us. After gathering with family (biological and non-biological) God quickly started forming a plan to worship together on Sunday no matter what. Whatever that looked like we would be together. So that led to our next decision. We would gather with this new body for a season.

We pray this season is long and fruitful. God has been working on this plan and it has been amazing to see the blessings. What a whirl-wind of a ride it has been.

The new body that was formed in less than 5 days will be meeting (temporarily) at 8th & Tyler at the First United Bank building basement. Tell me that isn't exciting?

There are many people who think the elders made a good decision. I don't agree and have had to really dig deep for forgiveness. It has taken a day of being totally committed to hearing His voice to come to the point to say that I am okay with it all. I don't like the process that we had to go through but the end result is soooo worth it. Much like the last year actually. Hard to walk through but grateful of the outcome.

Living Truth Ministries was born from a group of people who are committed to putting action to words. We are a body of believers whose purpose is to follow God's will. We desire to bring glory to the Father, bring people to Christ, and bring hope to the lost. LTM is a body that accepts all sinners and desires truth to dwell within us.

Am I excited about what is before me? YES. God is faithful. That has NEVER been so true for Cameron and I as we are on this journey. Worship takes on all forms and we see that it can lead in different directions for different people. We are all tied to the same Lord. Serving Him and growing closer to Christ. Can the same goals be accomplished at different bodies? Yes. We are sad to close the door at PCF and our time there. It is full of love and wonderful people. They will continue to do great things and prosper. I know that deep in my being that God will use this time to really spread some people's wings and allow them to step out and serve in a way that is fulfilling. I also know this new body will be blessed beyond measure.

There are so many parts that were unclear to me earlier and even though it has only been 5 days I have to keep remembering that God's timing is sooooooo unpredictable and perfect. Being apart of something so new and fresh is amazing. I experienced the Spirit in a way yesterday that was sooooo pure and FREEING. I am excited to share this with you friends. I can't wait to share the joy that has been filling me in the last few days. Our journey is exciting and I will be keeping you all up to date on it.

May the Lord bless you as you listen and discern His voice.

Many blessings,