SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER UPDATE

Hello!

It is hard to take in the brevity of these last two years. Transition is coming very quickly in my life. Exciting, yes! Fearful, yes! To be honest it has been a challenging last two months. My internship is concluding and I have no clue what I will be doing come January. I am in place of transition where I cannot see very far ahead of me, yet it is here that I have found that the Lord has deeply ministered to me amidst the uncertainty. Yes, anxiety has come and gone but I have found solace in Paul’s words,

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

What a magnificent promise! Again and again the Lord has confirmed that in His Word there will be rest. Indeed, I have found that rest is available for the weary, in His Word. Even as the storms of uncertainty rage all around me there is rest and peace.

But I would say at this point I am feeling more excited than any other emotion because I have a no idea what is next. That seems crazy, but I know that it is during the times of uncertainty I am most reliant upon on the Lord. Feeling the fall of uncertainty is difficult to bear when you have no faith in the One who is in the business of being intimately involved in the small details of our lives. But there is great peace knowing that one of the names my Father is known by is Provider. Indeed I have continually come to see that He is my Provider. So here I am today uncertain of the exact place that I will land but taking the steps to get to that place all the while trusting the Lord will divinely direct the process.

Currently I have re-enrolled in school at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary to work on another Master’s degree. At this point I am certain I will work towards a Master of Divinity as I work full time, wherever that may be. However, right now I am thinking through when it will be best to start courses. It will be either this Spring or during the Summer. My hopes will be to complete this degree in a year and half where upon completion I will most likely move towards starting work on a Doctorate in missiology (Theology of missions).

Yes, my plans are to remain here in Southern California after January. I am sold. Once you move to California it is hard to leave! But really I am not being led to move away quite yet. I believe the Lord still wants me to remain here for another season or so. As I sit tight for further direction I am actively searching for a job primarily in ministry but also considering jobs outside of the church at least for a season. Right now I will go where there is provision. I will keep you informed as the process continues.

During the last six weeks of my internship I will continue to be working with the missions team here mobilizing our members to live a life on mission. I am working closely with our college ministry as well as we begin thinking through and planning for the global PEACE trips that our college students will be taking this summer. Currently we are considering taking a big group down to work with churches in the Dominican Republic where I visited a little over three weeks ago.

We have just concluded a campaign here at Saddleback called 40 Days of Love. It has been an incredible series about the relationship principles of Jesus. I would encourage you to listen to the series online at www.saddlebackfamily.com in your spare time and also to pick a copy of The Relationship Principles of Jesus by Tom Holladay, a book that the series was based off of. Incredible stuff!

How grateful I am for you! I praise God for you! Thank you for your faithfulness in supporting me through praying and sending in financial support over the course of this journey. For those who have supported me financially thank you for maintaining your financial commitments over these last two years especially during a time like we are facing in our economy now. Your gifts and sacrificial giving has been the reason I am where I am at today. I am greatly humbled and can never say thank you enough. May God continue to provide your needs according to your riches in Christ. My prayer for you is that God may fold ten times that which you have supported me with over these last two years.