Tag: Pastor’s family

Where Are You?

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 “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8

Genesis 3 has a very familiar history – even if you quit your “bible in a year” reading plan, you most likely made it to Genesis 3 at least! Adam and Eve disobey the Lord. When God comes to the garden, Adam and Eve hear Him and attempt to hide from Him in their shame. 

That question in Genesis 3:8 always catches me. God is calling to Adam, but it’s not because He doesn’t know where Adam is hiding. This isn’t a case of “I lost track of you.” It’s more like: “Adam, do you realize where you’ve ended up? Do you know how far you’ve drifted?”

It’s a sobering moment. And to be honest, it hits a little close to home sometimes.

Have you ever had one of those “where am I?” moments in life—not physically, but spiritually? Perhaps you looked up one day and thought, “This isn’t where I thought I’d be. This isn’t who I intended to become”. Sometimes it’s subtle. You’re still serving, still showing up, still saying all the right words. But internally? You feel a little off-track. A little lost. A little… somewhere else.

Let’s settle this up front: God knows exactly where you are. Hebrews 4:13 reminds us, “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

There’s not a thought you’ve had, a step you’ve taken, or a secret pain you carry that He hasn’t seen. He is not confused about your location or your situation. But sometimes—like with Adam—He asks you to think about it. He invites you to pause and evaluate: Where am I, really? Am I walking with Him… or hiding behind something?

We’re not talking about self-condemnation or self-indulgence.. This isn’t about spiraling into guilt or chasing perfection. It’s about simply and humbly coming before God with an open heart and asking: Father, am I still on the path You set for me?

  • Am I obeying what You asked me to do?
  • Am I still growing, or just going through the motions?
  • Am I clinging to comfort when You’ve called me to courage?

Sometimes we can get so caught up in doing things for God that we forget to walk with Him. Ministry, leadership, even devotion can become routine if we’re not intentional. And before long, we can be physically present but spiritually off course.

Think about a GPS for a second. If you take a wrong turn, it doesn’t shame you. It doesn’t yell, it doesn’t call us names. It simply says: “Recalculating.”

In love, the Holy Spirit does the same. He gently prompts us back to center. The real question isn’t “Does God know where I am?” The real question is “Do I know where I am in relation to Him?”

  • Are you following closely behind Him, even when the path is narrow?
  • Are you hanging back, afraid of what’s ahead?
  • Are you running ahead, trying to lead the way?
  • Are you sitting down on the side of the road, discouraged and unsure if you even want to keep going?

If you feel off-track today, here’s the good news: God is still calling. The same voice that called out to Adam is calling to you. He’s not calling in anger. He’s not waiting to lecture you. He’s offering you an invitation to walk with Him again, to realign with His heart and His purposes specifically for you. Even when we are off-track, that knowledge of His character should give us peace.

That question—“Where are you?”—isn’t about punishment. It’s about restoration. It’s an opportunity. A chance to recognize where you are, so He can lead you where you’re meant to go. He knows the path, even when you can’t see the next step – and it’s a treasure when we let the Lord take the lead!

“I’m Going to Your House Today!”

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When we were children, friendship and community seemed easier, didn’t it? We were in school together, when you had a deskmate or someone who shared your seat on the bus, 8 year olds could be pretty simple. (Well, at least when I was an 8 year old, life was simpler – not sure if it’s simple for the 8 year old in 2025!). However, as adults, we have to make more of an effort.  Godly friendship doesn’t happen by accident!

One of my friends and I laugh often about how we became close.  She had moved to a new city, and I thought, “she needs me” – so I called her up and said, “Hey!  I’m coming to sleep over at your house!” I called another friend and said, “Hey – we are going to a sleepover!  Get packed!” LOL!  Today, we are still BFFs, and we still laugh about that story!  

You might be thinking, “I could never!”. I know – it sounds embarrassing, but this is not without precedent. You know who did this way before I did?  

“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”  So Zacchaeus came down at once and welcomed Jesus gladly.” Luke 19:5-6 NIV

(Anyone else singing the children’s song in your head right now?  “Zacchaeus, you come down!  For I’m going to your house today! I’m going to your house today!”)

To be honest, at the moment of that phone call when I invited myself over, we weren’t really that kind of friends yet. The Holy Spirit, in His kindness, allowed me to see a need – and it turns out that it was a need I had in my life too.  The result is one of my most treasured friendships!

Okay, so you don’t have to cold-call people to get friends, LOL!  However, the faith journey should not be a solo one.  God’s idea is for us to be in families and in community – He was the one who said, “it is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). The enemy of your soul wants you isolated – don’t fall into that trap.  

A few tips for you:

  • Be Vulnerable: Let others see the real you. Friendship grows in the soil of authenticity.
  • Make Time: Busy-ness is one of the greatest threats to community. Prioritize people over productivity.
  • Pray Together: Shared prayer deepens bonds like nothing else. Make prayer a regular part of your friendships.
  • Speak Life: Be generous with encouragement, grace, and affirmation.
  • Pursue Reconciliation: Conflict is inevitable, but godly friendship chooses forgiveness over offense.

Friendship is not just emotional support—it’s a spiritual discipline. When we surround ourselves with godly companions, we position ourselves to hear God more clearly, walk more faithfully, and live more fully.

Don’t wait for friendship to find you. Sow seeds of intentionality, vulnerability, and prayer. Water them with consistency and grace. Trust that God, in His perfect timing, will surround you with the kind of friends who make you more like Him. I have found that this effort is worth it, and I have been blessed with godly friendships in my life. Today, I want to encourage you to make that investment! You will find it to be a treasure ❤ 

p.s. I’m continuing this discussion on the podcast this week! New episode will drop on Thursday. Subscribe on Youtube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts this week so we can connect again! Here’s the link tree so we can connect!

Are You Receiving a Sabbath?

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God includes Sabbath-keeping among the Ten Commandments, placing it alongside commands against idolatry, murder and adultery. Whoa! Considered in this context, the seriousness and sacredness of Sabbath is surely underscored here. It’s not just a spiritual tip for well-being, it’s an act of obedience and reverence.

I have to be honest: I didn’t always observe a weekly Sabbath consistently. Even now, there are some weeks when I allow this time to be crowded out (I say “I allow” because I’m taking responsibility – this is a result of my own choices). BUT, it’s important and ought to be a priority in my schedule (and yours!).

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; He rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; He set it apart as a holy day.” Exodus 20:8-11

I had some wrong ideas about Sabbath – I thought it meant only Sunday. This wasn’t possible for me: as a pastor’s wife (until a few weeks ago, my husband recently resigned his pastorate), Sundays were not a day of rest – Sundays were a workday for us.  I also wrongly thought that Sabbath meant 24 straight hours of NOTHING, no activity at all.  This was hard for me too – I’m a “mover and shaker” generally, and enjoy being happily busy.

Ken Shigamatsu (one of my favorites authors/pastors) defines Sabbath as “a chance to step off the hampster wheel and listen to the voice that tells us we are beloved by God. The sabbath heals us from our compulsion to measure ourselves by what we accomplish, who we know, and the influence we have”. Take a deep breath, take a pause and quietly consider that!  Now this is a concept I can get behind! The Sabbath is a divine invitation to rest, reflect, and realign with God—and with ourselves.  Sabbath is 24 hours set aside for rest, for life-giving activity. 

Some of you are thinking what I thought at first: “there’s no way I can take 24 hours off!” Again, I have to be honest: when I first began to pray about Sabbath, when I first recognized my need for it, when the Lord started dealing with me about getting into the rhythm He intended for His children, there was no way. I had packed my calendar out.  I didn’t run my schedule – my schedule ran me. “Lord, how am I going to stop for 24 straight hours? Are You kidding? I’ve made commitments here.” 

I don’t know about you – but when the Lord starts to deal with me about disobedience, He isn’t kidding. (Oh – sorry, did I say disobedience out loud?  That sounded harsh…. But this is one of the Big Ten, remember?)

At first, it wasn’t realistic.  I had made commitments, I had over-scheduled, I had made promises that I should not have made, I kept once-genuine needs on the calendar past their effectiveness….  It was understandable that I needed time to rearrange some things on the calendar as well as needing to eliminate some things altogether. 

I realized that I needed to start budgeting my TIME the same way I budgeted my MONEY. The reason I can’t buy another car is that I made a commitment to the one I have.  If I want another car, I need to sell this one, right? The reason I can’t buy a new outfit today is that I bought a new outfit last week – I spent that money already. My time is just as valuable and needs to be carefully budgeted as well.

I looked at my calendar:

  • Okay, I committed to leading this small group.  I can’t quit immediately, but I can finish this semester and not volunteer for this again. (Is leading 4 small groups necessary?)
  • My weekly bible study is a priority for me – those friendships are life-giving, and the opportunity to be in community is valuable, I’ll keep that.
  • Okay, I committed to coaching this cheer squad.  Football season ends in 2 months, and I’ll end at that time too.
  • Family dinner every Sunday can’t be negotiated!  We all love it!
  • Work is a must.  My hours are 7:00-5:00 Tuesday-Friday.  I need to stop working past my hours on a regular basis, and I need to re-order my workday so I am not bringing work home. I wrote in Mondays off – why aren’t I taking that day?

Slowly, I got my calendar in balance and worked up to 24 hours of rest.  Most weeks, my Sabbath is Friday dinner-Saturday dinner. That time is for rest, for life-giving activity.  I’ll describe my Friday/Saturday to you, as an example: 

  • No obligations – if it is an obligation, I’ll do it another day
  • Friday dinner is usually with my husband – we like to order in Chinese or grill salmon and veggies
  • Saturday mornings are SLOW – I don’t make any plans that start before 10:00am.
  • Saturday 10am – Saturday dinner time is for me: let’s take out the kayak or take a bike ride.  Let’s go to lunch or coffee with a friend. Let’s turn off the phone and read. Let’s cuddle the pup or the grandbaby.
  • For these 24 hours, I’m going to purposefully invite Jesus into my daily, and let Him minister peace to me. Let Him remind me that my value is in being His child, not in what I accomplish.
  • If something comes up (and it does), I plan in advance and organize my week in a way that I get a different 24 hours.  I feel it keenly when I don’t take this rest.

A few last things about Sabbath:

Sabbath is an act of radical trust: Keeping the Sabbath means ceasing work, even when there is more to do. Sabbath rest is a weekly declaration that God is our provider, not our “hustle”. Sabbath reminds us that our identity is rooted in being and not in doing.

Sabbath is a return to God’s intended rhythm for us. The Sabbath is rooted in creation itself. “On the seventh day, God rested” (Genesis 2:2-3). If the Creator of the universe paused to rest – not from weariness, but from delight – then so should we. Observing the Sabbath with joy reconnects us with the divine rhythm of work and rest; helping us recover from burnout, anxiety, and striving.

Sabbath is a preview of eternal rest. The Sabbath points us forward to the eternal rest promised in Christ (Hebrews 4:9-11). Jesus is our Sabbath rest – He frees us from striving for righteousness through works and invites us into grace-driven rest.

Maybe you need a little space to budget differently? Take that space and use it to re-order, work up to the 24 hours. Give yourself grace, it may not happen overnight. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. This time is a gift from the Lord – and receiving Sabbath from His hand with delight every seven days will become a treasure to you! ❤

A Second Time, Really?

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This is one of my favorites – it’s probably one of yours too: 

“Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name): ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ ” Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV

(Before you get nervous, I’m not going to ruin your favorite verse like I did with Psalm 46:10 if you were with me back then: https://jenniferwspivey.org/2020/12/30/a-new-look-at-an-old-favorite/ You might even like Jeremiah 33:3 more after we visit!)

We like to say that God is a “God of second chances”, don’t we?  Have you ever heard that phrase?  I think it mostly references the second chances He gives to His children. However, I wonder if we are this gracious to God, if we are quick to give Him a “second chance” if we don’t like the way it went with Him the first time around.

Did you ever hear a word from the Lord that you weren’t too sure about?  A few examples from my life: 

  • Many many years ago, I sensed the Holy Spirit tell me, “A battle is coming”. I wasn’t excited to hear that, to be honest. Looking back now, I am comforted by the fact that He knew and offered a heads-up to assure me that I would not be alone.
  • When the Lord spoke to us about taking a position 13 hours away from our hometown…. Oh my. I bawled my eyes out on that entire drive (bawling is worse than regular crying, y’all!).
  • Recently, the Lord spoke to my husband and I about making a move from the pastorate to a new adventure.  I wasn’t too excited about that at first (though it’s turning out for everyone’s best!).  I am comforted that we are walking in obedience.

Perhaps it was a battle you had to face, a relationship you had to end, a hardship you had to endure…. Even a warning from the Lord is a gift, He always speaks for our benefit and nothing He says is without value.

When we look at Jeremiah 33:3 (or any scripture really), it’s important to get the context.  Sometimes I skip the history lesson for time’s sake (or word count, LOL!), but let’s go into it a little bit this time. I dearly love the history lesson!

Backing up to Jeremiah 32, the Lord comes to Jeremiah with a word that is not as encouraging as 33:3 – 

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ‘I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods. The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the Lord’ ” 32:26-30

Yikes. Now let’s look at 33:1, we’re working our way back to 33:3, hang in there: 

“While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time”

A second time, really?  Jeremiah is still in his confinement, he’s still in the place of captivity, still under the attack that the Lord told him would be coming…. To be honest, if I were Jeremiah, I might have said, “Thanks but no thanks – not real crazy about the first thing You said, Lord, so I’m not sure I’m interested in You coming a second time.”

Thankfully Jeremiah had a soft heart and ears to hear what the Lord had to say, how much he would have missed:

“This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ ” 33:3

But wait – there’s MORE!  Jeremiah does call out to the Lord, and the word is an encouragement in his distress: 

“For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah…. I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.  I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before.  I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against Me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against Me.  Then this city will bring Me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’ ” 33:4, 6-9

WOW! I’m so glad Jeremiah was receptive when the Lord came a “second time”, and what an example this provides for me. Where else would Jeremiah had gone at that moment?  In his crisis, had he left the Lord, where else would have found healing and restoration and help? It reminds me of Peter in John 6:68, “Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Even in crisis, especially in crisis, there is no other source of help.  

Every time the Lord speaks, it’s a gift – let Him come to you a second time (and a third time, and a fourth time, and….) and it will be a treasure! ❤ 

3,037 – But Who’s Counting?

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We joke sometimes and say, “but who’s counting?” but the truth is that I am counting.

3,037.  That’s how many days it’s been between the first day and today.   The day my world changed and hasn’t changed back. I feel it every day, a weight on my chest that makes it hard to breathe sometimes.  The days when I wonder if God can hear me – I’ve prayed over this more than 3,037 times – multiple times every day, countless now. 

I know He could fix it, heal it, solve it, restore it.  Beyond that, I even have faith that He will fix it, heal it, solve it, restore it. Maybe you have a prayer, dear to your heart, that is still on the “not yet” side of the column? Maybe yours isn’t 3,037 days – but I bet you know how many days it’s been since day 1. We understand each other.  We’re in this together. 

Joel 2:12-14 is a big encouragement to me on these days when I feel the weight of the 3,037 more than others.  Want to go get out the dictionary and the Strong’s concordance and follow a few rabbit trails with me?

12: “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart; With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13: So rend your heart, and not your garments;

I have to pause here, it’s too good: 

rend, Strong’s H7167: cut out or tear

heart, Strong’s H3824: heart as the most interior organ, comfort, courage, understanding

garments, Strong’s H899: covering, rag – from H898: to cover with a garment

Let’s remove the “cover”, remove any barriers between us and the Lord, remove any barriers between us and people.  Live heart open, arms open, wide open. The moment we get brave enough to throw away the pretense and pretending is the moment when we begin to heal. Back to Joel 2:

13: Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”

Let’s go to the King James, where “relent” is translated “repent” and “return”:

repent, Strong’s H5162: to pity, console, comfort, ease

Doesn’t that sound like the Lord? Bringing comfort, as He always does when we allow Him to be our Comforter.

return, Strong’s H7725: to turn back, not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point; rescue, restore, retrieve, recover, fetch home again

I love the reminder that God’s perspective is not ours.  Let’s not wait for our lives to “change back” – what the Lord has for us isn’t behind, it’s ahead. Return here means to “turn back, not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point”. When there is a return (and there will be a return!), we’ll be better.

14: “Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him— A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God?”

Here’s the best part: the blessing that He leaves behind becomes “a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God” when we receive it from His hand.  That means that these 3,037 days are not for nothing.  When God leaves a blessing, He’ll leave it in such a way that I can offer it all back to Him – and in His hand, my pain has a purpose. 

When we are able to move our “not yet”s to the “it is finished” column, we’ll be different for the experience and the testimony it brings – and that’s a treasure worth waiting for, even 3,037 days or more ❤ 

Are You Taking Him for Granted?

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You are familiar with the phrase, taking something “for granted”. We use this as an adjective sometimes, describing the action or item that is “taken for granted”: “the gift was taken for granted”, “her kindness was taken for granted”.  We have also used it as a verb, we might say that someone “takes” an action/item “for granted”: “Mildred took this gift for granted”, “Mildred took Hortense’s kindness for granted“. When we talk about something being “taken for granted”, this isn’t generally a good thing, we don’t generally have a positive feeling about taking something “granted”. It’s presumptuous, and we generally criticize presumption.

The dictionary defines “take for granted” this way: “to fail to properly appreciate (someone or something), especially as a result of overfamiliarity”.

A failure to properly appreciate – sounds right. Wait, sounds wrong.

Of course, like many things in life, there is another side, the other side of the coin, the other side of the story.  The dictionary has a second definition: “to assume that something is true without questioning it”.

Let’s take a “selah” right there, a moment to pause and think of that: to assume something is true without question. A deep breath, a release, a moment for peace. Assume something is true, without question.  Assume the possibility that something could be true without question. In our world where so much changes, the thought of something true without question gives me peace.

The Lord wants to be this one true without question in your life!

Imagine taking Him at His Word.  Imagine the peace that must accompany taking Jesus “for granted”. The second kind, not a failure to appreciate but living in the assumption/assurance that He is true without question. How would your behavior change if you were SURE, if you were CONVINCED? How would your behavior change if there was no possibility in your mind other than Jesus being absolutely true? Beyond salvation, truly experiencing the benefits of being His, enjoying the privileges of being a child of the Most High? 

Peace, not given as the world gives (John 14:27)

Healing, purchased for you, all you have to do is receive (Isaiah 53:5)

Joy, filled with all peace in believing and abounding in hope (Romans 15:13)

Restoration, of all the years you may have wasted in not truly believing (Joel 2:25)

And the list goes on and on and on and on…. 

Let’s do a smash-up of these two part of the definition (is a definition smash-up a thing or did you and I just invent it?):  “as a result of overfamiliarity, to assume that something is true without questioning it”. Let’s become so familiar with the Word of God, so familiar with the character of God, that we live in the abundance that only He can give as if He is true without question – because He truly is! Let’s also notice the part of the definition that we left out, and make sure that we never fail to appreciate His gifts.  

Jesus not only gives you what He HAS, He gives you what He IS. He will never be disappointed in you for presuming that He is true.  In this context, presumption is a good thing! The Lord never criticizes us for believing too much! I think that He is longing for you to take Him at His Word and receive His gifts to you with gratitude and praise.  Try it out – I think you’ll find result of taking Jesus for granted will be a treasure ❤

On the podcast this week, we are continuing the discussion about transitions.  You can catch up on part one here and the part two will come out on Thursday!

Catch and Release

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I think often about how we learn to catch before we learn how to release. It’s part of our physical development.  Consider that baby who grabbed your necklace and wouldn’t let go.  They weren’t being stubborn: they didn’t know how to release yet!  They were not unwilling, they were unable.

We have the same learning curve in our spiritual development: we learn to grab and then we must learn to release. Catch/grab the vision that the Lord has placed in your heart, that’s wonderful!  Release back into the hands of the Lord what He has entrusted to you – that’s even more wonderful!  Learning to release will increase your peace and multiply your capacity. 

To grow into what God has next for you, to transition into your next season, you must be able to release today back into the Lord’s hand. We have so many examples of leaders in the Bible who successfully navigated transition, here are just a few:

  • Moses transitioned from a prince of Egypt to a prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery into their Promised Land. 
  • David transitioned from shepherd boy to King of Israel.  Once Samuel anointed him as king, it was literally years before he would ascend to the throne. We can relate to his faithfulness to the Lord as well as his human shortcomings.
  • Esther was an orphan who transitioned to the throne of Persia.  Her bravery resulted in the rescue of an entire nation.
  • Paul’s conversion at Damascus was dramatic, from persecutor of Christians to key figure in spreading the Gospel of Christ. 
  • Our most important example for all we do, including transitioning well, is Jesus – He did not change from His original purpose, but we were witness to transitions in His life: infancy, young learner, ministry, betrayal, the Cross, the Resurrection. 

As you remember these histories, there’s one commonality in particular that I’d like you to notice:  in order to catch the next vision, they had to release the current one. I know – it seems so simple, does it even need to be said? Of course Moses could not remain in the palace and identify as Pharoah’s adopted son while he led the Israelites to the promised land. Of course David could not stay in the field tending sheep and lead Israel as king at the same time.  They could not accomplish the vision that the Lord set before them and stay where they were.

Let’s get some examples from our own lives: of course we cannot stay in high school and also leave for college at the same time.  Of course we cannot stay in one job and also accept the promotion or accept the new job elsewhere.  You have to let go of the old to move forward into the new. I mentioned earlier that learning to release will do two things: (1) increase your peace and (2) multiply your capacity. 

I notice that the more I try to control, the more I lose my peace. I’m unhappy and stressed when I am trying to control things that are not mine to control. We have to be able to discern when is our responsibility and what belongs to someone else. As a parent, it is my responsibility to communicate a curfew and take the car keys when curfew is missed too many times. It is not my responsibility to make my teen have a great attitude about it. I have to be at peace knowing I did my part (enforcing rule with love and patience), and leave their attitude (their responsibility) to them. As a Christian, I can communicate the importance of receiving Christ as Savior. It is not my responsibility to force my friend to receive Christ. I have to be at peace knowing I did my part (sharing the Gospel) and leave the Holy Spirit’s work to the Holy Spirit. If I make it my job to force the teen into a great mood or force my friend to receive the benefits that serving the Lord brings, I lose my peace. I’m operating in an area where I don’t belong. Give it back – or said in a better way: RELEASE that responsibility back to where it belongs. When I release responsibility that isn’t mine, my peace returns.

Secondly, learning to release will increase your capacity. I am able to do more, steward more, hold more with an open hand than a closed fist. As we grow, our influence grows and we learn to release one thing so we can catch another – then we release that thing so we can catch the next, and so on…. Release is required to go on to what’s next. There is always a next – memorize the words of the Lord in Isaiah 43:19 and repeat it to yourself daily, “Behold I am doing a new thing, even now it shall spring forth!”

Normalizing transition is also I’m talking about on the podcast today if you want to join me there!  (Surprise – the podcast is re-launching! Here’s the link) On the podcast, I want to encourage you in a couple more ways: even though transition can be painful, it is not a betrayal. This is an important distinction to make as you work through these growing pains.  It is also entirely possible to celebrate both the season that you are leaving while you celebrate the season you are entering. Once you understand these things, you will not only transition successfully, you will be able to help the people around you transition successfully as well.

If we are to grow, if we are to allow the things around us to grow, we must learn to catch and we also must learn to release. Praying that you will develop this skill and navigate transition successfully. The ability to catch is a gift – knowing when to release is a treasure!

Jennifer

A Time for Every Purpose

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“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted

My husband recently stepped down from his pastorate of 17 years.  When we arrived, our children were 11, 11 and 9 years old. This church has seen us raising young children, they were there when they got their first cars. They saw our children off to college, saw them married…. They were with Michael and I when we became “empty-nesters”.  They were with us when we lost a parent. They were with us when we became grandparents.  We were together through CoVid (it has to be said, it was such an epoch for all of us, right?). We were with them for the same seasons of their lives.  Births, weddings, healings, funerals…. Michael likes to call it the “hatching, patching, matching and dispatching”, and I smile every time he says it this way.  So true.  Comfort in that continuity of life.  Comfort in the people who became ours during these years.  Comfort in the faithfulness of the Lord through it all.

A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;

A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;

Professionally, lots of life as well.  This church was small when we came, hurting. Lots of debt.  Lots of past due bills.  Lots of weeks wondering if we would make the power bill, let alone payroll. We dug deep and trusted God – we remembered that He loved His church more than we did, and we became confident again. (And again. And again.  Some prayers are not a “one and done” – sometimes you have to press in and press in and press in….). Slow and steady, change came.  People came. Finances came.  Power bills and payroll were no longer a worry.  The church became debt free and healthy. Long hours and sleepless nights, sweat and tears, and those people who were ours stood with us and worked with us. We rejoiced in the blessing of obedience together, realizing this was truly a “look what the Lord has done” season.

A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;

A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

To be honest, when Michael decided on a new adventure, I wanted to hang on to the old. I couldn’t imagine anything better than the place we were at – the place we had worked so hard to arrive at. It sounds so easy and neatly packaged into the two paragraphs above – it wasn’t! However, I remembered God’s faithfulness in past moves. We had served churches before and moved before. I remembered that as the Lord is preparing us for a new adventure, He is also simultaneously preparing our church family for a new adventure, simultaneously preparing their next pastor for a new adventure, and so on.  

What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

I rejoiced in today, this specific day: I realized that we were ending in a time to gain, a time to keep, a time to sew, a time to love, and a time of peace. We had experienced the valleys and hardships, and God in His great generosity and kindness was allowing us to end on the mountaintop. From this viewpoint, we could see that this “time to sew” resulted in a beautiful tapestry, a legacy that will last in our hearts forever. 

I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.

Peoples Church, you were a gift to me from the Lord, to be held lightly in an open hand. God did it, and we honor Him in the work. Today, you are the treasure. Thank you ❤

That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God requires an account of what is past.”

Ecclesiastes 3 NKJV

Friend, let’s come together again next week! I’m excited to connect with you in this way again!