Remembering (Time Flies)

Picture taken in Spring of 1996. Picture taken a few weeks ago.

As I look forward with anticipation to what God will do in Carrollton, I can’t help but remember what God has done for me in the past. We are who we are in part because of our experiences. I was thinking about that today, and was thinking about the last 10 years. The time flies by and before you know it, you are different than you were. I like to look back and focus on what was so I can remind myself of who God made me to be. I don’t dwell on failure but I try to remember because God has used it to mold me.

Way back in 1999, I had to step down from being the Minister of Music of the church I grew up in. The pastor had resigned and the new man brought own guy to lead worship. I knew and had worked with both men years earlier. I knew that my time as paid staff was ending with the coming of the new pastor and have taken steps to help make the change as smooth as possible. You see, the pastor who resigned did so after a hard year; his wife left him for another man and the church had decreased in number (from 425 people down to 175 people) so I was the last man standing. The youth pastor had moved back home to TN and the other associate had moved to GA to pastor a small church. I stayed in part because this is the church I grew up in and loved and I was waiting for God to direct me elsewhere. This period of my ministry life, from 1999 to present, is the time I’ve learned the most about God and His calling on my life.

I’ll write more on what I’ve learned and still learning in the next few days.