The story

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis might have noticed a common theme in many of my recent posts. I have talked about people who have left comfort to plunge into the unknown or have done things which appeared to be contrary to conventional wisdom. Those stories have been at the forefront of my thinking because I have been following those same leadings. Yesterday morning I announced that I was leaving my post as business administrator and facilities manager at Highpointe. I would have preferred to have announced that I knew what was coming next, but for the second time in five years I am stepping out without knowing where my foot will land.

In 2003 I first began to feel stirrings toward ministry. I was convinced at the time that I would always be involved in lay ministry, but a hunger began to grow to preach and to lead. In the fall of 2005, I felt God stirring me up to leave a wonderful well-paying job. The only instruction I was given was to "serve humbly". I quit the job and began to look for opportunities to serve. I stayed busy, because someone who is willing to serve will always find something to do. Then in the summer of 2006 we were in a tight place as a church and I volunteered to step in as business administrator and facilities guy until the crisis was passed. God was faithful and in a few months the church was back on its feet again financially. By that time I was realizing that I needed to pursue ministry credentials and I received my license to preach in 2007. Two years later I completed the requirements and was granted ordination.

I have never enjoyed the details of administration. My strengths are more aligned with leadership, communication, and encouragement; all conceptual. The nitty gritty of check requests, payroll, budgets, and thermostat settings, although important, have always been something I have forced myself to deal with. Although I felt an increasing desire to preach and to lead, it came increasingly clear that my future in that type of ministry would not be at Highpointe. As I have said to many of my friends, "I didn't work to receive ordination so that I could write better checks."

So when Pastor Jerod arrived I had a frank conversation with him saying that I was waiting for God to reveal his next assignment for me, and that I most likely wouldn't be around for long. We made a committment to each other to be honest and transparent in our relationship and in a conversation at lunch we both realized that Matt Stomprud was the right guy to do what I had been doing. Pastor Jerod would have been willing to wait as long as I asked for to make the change, but it would have been selfish on my part to delay this good plan.

So here I am again, without a job, waiting on God's next assignment. I'm really don't have any idea what or where it will be but I know that the desires I have are from him, and he will give me an outlet for this pressure of annointing that has been building up within me.

The story contnues....