History repeats itself

The one question I get more than perhaps any other lately - "So, how's the search for a church going?". The answer is usually something like, "Faith and patience". That's the journey I'm on right now - one of faith and patience.

But as I was recounting the story of how I came to be in Indiana in the first place, the LORD drew my mind to some interesting connections...

For those that don't know the basics of this story:

Eight years ago I transferred from Capital Bible Seminary in Maryland (just outside of Washington, DC) to Grace Theological Seminary in Indiana. The move made sense for a number of reasons: the cost of living was killing us, Grace has some strengths that Capital lacks, we're from the Midwest originally (Michigan), etc... But the process of moving was anything but normal.

I transferred to Grace, so I knew where I'd be schooling at. What I didn't know was a) where we were going to live, and b) where I was going to work. Not exactly minor details, eh? I had a background in outdoor power equipment (think: chainsaws and lawnmowers), so I used the Internet to find all the Toro and Stihl dealers within a certain radius of Warsaw (where Grace is). I sent my resume to all of these folk ... and got nothing! So went to dealerships on the very fringe of my radius and found two - on in Kendallville and one in Auburn. I sent my resume to both, and got an almost immediate response from the one in Auburn. Before long, we were this close to coming to an agreement for my employment. We were discussing finer points of pay scale - that's how close we were. But then ... silence. I stopped hearing from them. I finally called again and things had clearly changed, for the worse. I still don't know exactly what happened, but I knew I was mad at God for allowing it.

Silly, eh? It was. Especially since I had specifically prayed that the LORD would make it perfectly clear where He wanted me. How could He have made it more clear that I wasn't to go to Auburn?! It took the better part of a day for the LORD to remind of this truth... it's not something I'm proud of.

So, after repenting of my foolish anger, I called the dealership in Kendallville. One thing (slowly) led to another and the next thing you know, I'm employed! I've been there since, and it's been perfectly clear that it was the LORD's place for me.

So now I knew where I'd school and work, but still no clue as to where we'd live. As my grandmother graciously agreed to house us for a few days and watch our two children (from her home in Sturgis, MI), we simply got out a map and started visiting the communities from Kendallville to Warsaw. We started in Kendallville (it's closest to Sturgis) but found nothing. We just kept going down the road, looking, hoping, and praying.

On the second day (if memory serves me right) we found ourselves in a little town (read: 1,600 people) called Churubusco. I couldn't pronounce the name at the time, nor did I see any apartments to rent. But it was around lunch time, so we stopped at the Magic Wand, a burger joint on the main road. As we're talking about our housing dilemma, our waitress happens by. As "luck" would have it, she's also a rental property manager! Turns out she has a house for rent that ends up working for our family for the next four years.

That's the short version of how I got where I am. And now I'm poised on the edge of a similar situation. I'm done with school and know the leading the LORD has given me for vocational ministry. What I don't know is exactly where He'll take us or when. But there have been some really interesting similarities to last time:

- I came very close to taking a pastoral position at a church in KS, only to have things fall apart near the very end. This time I remembered the lessons of history and chose to be thankful for clear guidance instead of angry at a closed door.

- Just like last time, it seems every time I find myself a bit overwhelmed or worrisome about the situation, God provides just enough encouragement to keep me on the path of faith and patience.

- Like the "lucky" encounter with the property manager, I had a similar experience in hiring the man that will eventually replace me at my job. On a whim, I agreed to place our ad with a local placement agency, expecting nothing. The very first email I received from an applicant eventually ended up being the guy we hired - not the guy I initially thought we should pursue. And thus far he's worked out fabulously. Moreover, he's rapidly turning into a good friend, too!

I often advise people struggling with patience to remember how the LORD has worked things out in the past, and trust Him for the future based (if nothing else) upon that past working. He's proving that to be wise counsel in my own life right now.

And I'm (so far) patiently, faithfully thankful.

Hatushili