Big Changes, and a Big God

Hixson Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Hixson, Tennessee

We serve an amazing God, a God who can do anything. Over the years this has been confirmed in our family's life again and again. We've lived in six different homes since getting married nine years ago, and soon it will be seven. Each time God has done incredible things with our church, job and home, things that can only be explained by pointing to the God who works all things together for good, for those who love Him and are called to His purposes. I could write on and on about these examples, but I'll keep this post about the most recent. After all, I am on vacation. First, a little background.

Over a year ago my wife and I began to study the doctrine of baptism, particularly infant baptism. Long story short, we have changed our view and now hold to the infant baptist tradition, long held by several denominations, including the the one we will soon be joining, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). As we moved in our journey through this understanding it became clear that if we held this belief, we would no longer be unified with the leadership of our church. Over the past several months we have been working with our elders to try and find a way for us to stay at our church despite our differences. However, it has become clear that what is best is for us to move on to another church where we can be on the same page doctrinally and for our current church to find another pastor that can be completely unified with them in this core doctrine. So, with that in mind, we handed in our resignation to our church at the beginning of last week, trusting that God would provide for all involved.

During this process we had been in touch with a church in Tennessee about a job opening they had in their worship ministry. I've posted a picture of the church at the top of this post. This past Sunday we had a chance to visit the church and speak to their leadership in person. We had a wonderful time there. Again, to make a long story short, yesterday they offered us a position to be their Director of Worship & Technology and we accepted it.

So, we are moving to Hixson, Tennessee, just one town north of Chattanooga, to serve at Hixson Presbyterian Church. Over the next six weeks or so we'll be transitioning out of our current ministry in Illinois and moving down to Hixson with plans to start serving there the beginning of August. There is still a lot to do, like get our home sold, find a new home, register the girls for a new school, learn how to lead a worship service in a new denomination, etc..., but we are trusting God to work out the details. Even now He is working on selling our home with two showings in the first week on the market (both seem pretty interested).

As I said at the beginning, we serve an amazing God. My wife and I prayed as we left for our little vacation this week that we might return with a new job and a house that had an offer on it. We still have four days left before we are back home. Who knows what God could do? Whatever happens, I can't wait to see it unfold.