MY BLOG POSTS

I was talking to my youngest daughter about Daniel the other day. She is struggling with the move – understandably.  Florida is home. It’s where her friends and family live, where she has made memories, where she has grown from a child into a beautiful young teenager. It’s where she thought she’d go to high school and college. She doesn’t want to leave Florida, where she is known and loved, to go to California, where everyone will be a stranger.

So we talked about Daniel. He, too, was forced – against his will – to leave home and go to a foreign land. He, too, was likely a young , good-looking teenager, who had to leave behind great friends and family, special places, and all the comforts of the “known”. He was human, just like us, so I’m sure Daniel shed tears, got angry, asked “why me??” Like my daughter, he might have said, “Why can’t I just stay in one place like normal people?”

But God had a plan for Daniel – just like He has a plan for my daughter, and for all of us. Daniel didn’t know, when he was taken away, that he would rise to great power in Babylon. He didn’t know that his friends would be thrown in a fiery furnace or that he would be trapped in a lions’ den. He didn’t know God would give him prophetic ability that would point this pagan country to the true, living God. He didn’t know the words he wrote would be read thousands of years later, that they’d be quoted by the mom of a heartbroken teen who is having to leave the familiar for the unfamiliar. Daniel just obeyed – maybe reluctantly, at first. We don’t know. But we do know he took the faith of his fathers and made it his own. We know he was so sold out for God that he willingly risked his life to keep worshiping Him.

I love reading about men like Daniel and being reminded that the God who moved Daniel from Judah to Babylon is the same God who moving us from Florida to California. He is with us – His Holy Spirit is IN us! – and He has a purpose in this move. God used Daniel to make His name known in Babylon. He used Daniel in great – though sometimes uncomfortable – ways to glorify Him. And that, my friends, is why we are here: to glorify God – however, wherever, He chooses.

Maybe you’re not moving across the country. But, maybe, like my daughter, you are facing a difficult situation – one you didn’t ask for, don’t want, but that is thrust upon you, anyway. Dare to be a Daniel! Cling to God, trust Him, worship Him. He has great plans for you! They may not be “comfortable”, but they are good. Because He is good. And He is with you every single step of your journey.

I HATE saying goodbye. I’m talking about long-term goodbyes, not the conversational ones we throw out at the end of a dinner or after church on Sunday. Those are fine. Easy. It’s the “I don’t know the next time I’ll see you again” goodbyes that I hate. We say these goodbyes when we move away (which we’re doing in 2 weeks — read this if that is news to you), or when people we love move away. Sometimes we say them when we move churches or schools. The saddest goodbyes are when a loved one dies. Even though, if they are believer, you know you will see them again, the temporary separation is painful.

But as much as I hate goodbyes, I know they’re necessary. We learned, in a missionary training session over a decade ago, a truth that has stuck with me:

“Good goodbyes allow for good hellos.”

When we acknowledge the beauty of our friendships, the pain involved in leaving people and places we love, we are able to say goodbye in a healthy way. We don’t leave words unspoken. We are sad – very sad – but we don’t compound that sadness with misplaced bitterness or regrets. So we just deal with the sadness. We verbalize what we’re really feeling. That helps us feel the freedom to establish new friendships in our new places.

When we are honest with others – and ourselves – we can take the root issues to the Lord, and He will help us through them. When we refuse to recognize the real problem – whatever it is – we feed into the lie that it is something else, someone else, that is the problem. This leads to depression and heartache. We pull away from the Lord instead of drawing near to Him.

Right now, I have a couple issues that I need to daily bring before the Lord: 1) I don’t want to leave special people and places! I don’t want to make my kids leave best friends, churches, and schools they love 2) I am scared I won’t make new friends in my new place. I’m scared my kids will be miserable and will look back on this and hate us for making them move.

When I focus on those issues, I live in fear. I am stressed and miserable and overwhelmed. I need to seek the Lord to help me replace those thoughts with truth. Truth is found in God’s word.

Right now, I am memorizing and meditating on Isaiah 26:3-2 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”  I also recall Prov. 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Dave and I have sought the Lord, and He has led us to San Diego. I can trust God’s guidance. I can lean on Him. And I can follow him – no matter the cost – because He is worth it.

If you’re dealing with some “goodbyes” right now, let me encourage you to be honest about how painful they are. Tell people you love how much you love them. Drive by your favorite spots in town and recall the good times you had there. Cry. And, most importantly, let Jesus bear your burden. Cry to Him, lean on Him, listen to Him. Change is HARD. There’s no way to make it easy. But change can be good because it can draw us closer to the Savior, mold us more into his image, make us better equipped to serve others.

Saturday, as we were headed to a graduation party, we drove right into a Florida Storm. If you don’t live here, let me fill you in: our storms come in fast and heavy; the sky can go from beautiful blue to midnight gray in minutes. Lightning flashes, thunder roars, the skies open, and tourists panic.

We happened to be driving across a major bridge at the time. We saw several cars pulled over to the side, hazards on, refusing to drive across. Understandable – the rain was so heavy the windshield wipers barely helped at all. But we knew something they didn’t: the storm was localized. We checked the radar and saw that if we kept driving, we’d be out of it in minutes. So we slowed down (only fools drive the speed limit in a storm!) and drove across the bridge. By the time we got to the other side, we saw blue sky. A few miles later, we were at the party, having a wonderful time with great friends. Dry and happy.

I thought of how like the Christian life that is. God tells us there will be storms. But He also tells us that those storms are followed by joy. We learn more about Him through the storms. We are strengthened through them. As we walk through storms, we become better equipped to help others navigate their way through storms.

Yet, many people “pull over to the side of the road” spiritually during the difficult times. They refuse to check the radar, to keep driving, to believe that the storm is passing. So instead of pressing on through what could be a short drive, they simply stop. For them, the storm lasts much longer and the only lesson they learn is to avoid storms the next time. And worse – they miss out on the party!

In Psalm 57:1, David says, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.”

Storms WILL come. But they will also go. Take refuge in Truth – God is with you through them. Go to Him! Seek His word. Don’t let go, don’t stop, don’t give up.

“One may experience sorrow during the night,
but joy arrives in the morning.” Ps. 30:5b

Those of you regular readers and friends (and regular reader friends!) know we have been looking for a job this year. Our position here in Largo was just for one year, and that year is just about up. Where we will go next?

We had our plans, but we have been walking with the Lord long enough to know our plans are rarely the same as God’s plans.

That was certainly true in this case!

We have followed God’s leading to a lot of places – Texas, Costa Rica, Spain, back to Florida. Each time was a step of faith and a time of growth and blessing as we were obedient to His direction. This next step is pretty big – and pretty exciting. We are moving to…..

San Diego, California! Yep, just about as far from Largo FL as we could get: 2,470 miles to be exact.

Dave will teaching Bible, and I’ll be teaching English at Calvary Christian Academy San Diego.

Last summer, we moved across the bay, from Tampa to Largo, and that stretched us as a family. Moving across the country will certainly be a challenge. We have wonderful friends – and lots of beloved family – here and, between our two “tours” in the Tampa Bay area, over a decade of treasured memories. There’s no easy way to leave “home”.

It certainly helps that we are moving to one of the most beautiful cities in the country. Beaches on one side, mountains on the other, and a climate that is practically perfect all year long! Not too shabby.

But we would appreciate your prayers – saying goodbye is never easy. Neither is adjusting to the new, making friends, finding where we fit in a new school, new church, and new location.

We know, however, that God never leaves us or forsakes us, and we have seen how He has guided us to San Diego. Moves always remind me that comfort and “stability” are not – nor should they be – my primary focus on this earth. Following Jesus should be my focus and my joy. The Christ-life is not easy, but it is rewarding and full.

I’m sure you’ll be reading – and seeing –  a lot more about this move in the coming weeks. We’d appreciate your prayers. If you’re reading this from the west coast, we’d love your words of advice! And my east coast friends — we expect lots of visitors ;)….Please!!