A Story of God's Faithfulness: The Ending of a Chapter

It has been a crazy week for me. On Monday, I agreed to lease my home starting January 1st for the next year and half. While many people are surprised to hear the news that I am leaving Albert Lea, it has been in the works for a while.

In January 2011, I was serving on Crossroad's Leadership Board as well as serving as Interim Coordinator of Youth Ministries at Crossroads Church. We were without a senior pastor as well as a youth pastor and our executive pastor had just announced his resignation. This left our Worship Pastor and Director of Children's Ministries on staff for ministry positions. It was a crazy busy time for the church. I was up to my ears in responsibility and felt very sure that God had called me to Crossroads for this exact time and purpose. I knew that I was suppose to be serving in the capacity that I was. However, it was in January that I began to sense that God was preparing my heart to leave Albert Lea - it was as if a small whisper was repeatedly telling me that my time in Albert Lea was coming to a close. At first I thought the idea was crazy. How could God be calling me away when I was doing exactly what He had called me to?? But the feeling would not subside; it was not over-powering but a sure and steady urging that God was preparing me for something new. By the time March came around, I began to pray daily that God would reveal to me what He desired for my life. In June, I decided that I would continue to pray on the matter but if I still felt that God was calling me out of Albert Lea, then I would put my house on the market in the fall.

September 1st came and I still felt very confident that God wanted me to move forward. I spent the most enjoyable Labor Day weekend in Denver and when I landed at MSP late in the evening on Labor Day, I knew that my house would be going on the market. However, I spent the next several days second guessing myself. ALMC EMS was by far the best job EMS could ever offer me. I loved my co-workers, I loved my job responsibilities and I was good at my job; Was I really ready to give all that up? I spent the week asking God to confirm what it was He wanted for my life. It was on September 12th that my employer announced that they were cutting our 24 hour shifts down to 12 hour shift, thus cutting our salary by nearly fifty percent. And in one quick announcement, the most promising job EMS could ever offer me was gone. I had 6 months to figure out what I was doing and I so clearly saw that God was confirming that my time in Albert Lea was coming to a close. I told God that I was willing to leave to Albert Lea, but that He was going to have to find me a buyer for my house. I reassured myself that God knew the buyer and He knew the timing. I put my house on the market on November 9th - and a month later I still had no showings.

Last Monday it was suggested to me that I should rent my house to Crossroad's new Senior Associate Pastor. I had considered this when I first put my house on the market, however, I naturally assumed that their family of 5 would be looking for a 4 bedroom house. After being informed of the difficulties they were having in finding a suitable home, I began to make a few inquires as to this possibility of renting to them and have felt an ever-increasing peace that this what God wants me to do. This week, we signed a lease and once again God has confirmed that He is calling me out of Albert Lea and provided a way for me.

This week has been a flurry of activity. Somehow (only by the grace of God), I managed to pack up my entire house in 4 days. I have often brought to the brink of tears when I consider the work God has done in my life the past three years. I am humbled by His provisions, His grace, His faithfulness, and His constant presence in my life. I am particularly humbled that He would allow me to serve His Bride, the church, here at Crossroads in Albert Lea. The past three years have contained some of the most difficult and painful experiences of my life, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. I am convinced that life's biggest blessing and greatest reward is to be used by God and that is something that God has allowed me to experience. I am humbled that the people here in Albert Lea who have loved me, both at Crossroads and in the EMS department. God is truly good.

I have learned a lot during this season of my life and I would like to take the opportunity to share some of those things. These have been life changing lessons and I am so grateful that God continues to work in my life and heart.

1) God is who He says He is: God is completely sovereign. He is infinite in wisdom. He is perfect in love. Everything that He ordains or allows in our lives is for His glory and our good – His very character and love for us stops Him from allowing anything in our lives that He will not used for our good and His glory.

2) I am who God says I am: My entire worth and value comes from God. It is He who created my heart and He is the one who redeemed it. Without Him, I am nothing. Nothing or anyone in this world has the ability to define me or give me worth. I will never be satisfied or content in life unless I am finding my value in Him. When I seek my value from Him, He will use my life as a mirror to reflect His glory to others around me. I may be the loudest person you know, but I pray that my spirit will that be that of one who is rich in meekness and gentleness.

3) God is deserving of my trust and I am truly capable of trusting Him: God has taken me down an interesting path during this time. A path that has allowed me to experience a great deal of pain and hurt and for a while, I began to doubt His goodness in my life. Why would God call me to something only to have those circumstances break my heart?? But He is has shown me that He is truly good and He will only bring things into my life that will be for my good and His glory. God is not as concerned with our comfort as much as we are. He is willing to allow us to go through trials if they will better us, make us more like Him, and bring us joy as an end result. He has taught me what it means to trust Him and not my own logic. Even when things don’t make sense, He is still trustworthy. Not only has He shown me that He is deserving of my trust but that despite the appearing senseless circumstances of my life, I am still capable of trusting Him.

4) I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength: God has used my time in Albert Lea to show me that I am capable of doing anything that He calls me to do as long as I rely on Him. It may be exhausting. It may be heartbreaking. It may not make any sense of the time. But God calls me to obey and sometimes that means nothing more than one step at a time with a willing heart. He will take care of the rest.

5)Perspective: My perspective changes everything. When I choose to view my life through the lens of truths listed above that means I can rest assured that God is up to something good in my life. So many times in my life I have spent so much time and energy focusing on the East waiting for the sunrise that I have missed the beautiful sunset that God has created in the West. I must change my perspective and learn to match my heart to God’s – it is then that I will see God’s beauty and sovereignty in every situation in my life.

6) Discerning God’s Will: I learned a lot about discerning God’s will during this season of my life. This lesson first became evident in my life during a sermon in which Glen Stevens announced His resignation at Crossroads Church. God began to open my eyes further to this lesson this past year as I listened to His prompting in my life and while hiring a senior associate pastor for Crossroads.


Glen’s message taught me some good practices to apply to my life while trying to discern God’s will in my life.

*Walk with God: Live your life on a day-to-day basis with God. Learning to hear God’s voice comes from spending regular time in his Word. And then pray, pray, pray, pray, and pray some more.
*Walk with others who walk with God: talk to your closest friends (assuming that they are believers), avoid solitary confinement, and get outside advice from people with experience – Proverbs 11:14. Accountability and godly counsel are so important in discerning God’s will for your life.
*Look inside and out: Don’t ignore your feelings but don’t trust them either. Look for evidences of confirmation.
*Obey God: Obey God’s calling when you clearly feel Him convicting you of direction and need to move (Proverbs 3:5-6).



I have also learned that there are four basic principles to consider when trying to discern the will of God. You could call them steps to walk through when considering any decision in your life.

1)Scripture. The will of God will never contradict the Word of God. Scripture is the most important thing you can consult when making decisions. It is far easier to compare things to Scripture when you are in the habit of reading and meditating everyday.
2) Holy Spirit. John 15 describes the Holy Spirit as "the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father." God gives us the Holy Spirit for the very purpose of convicting of His truth. Often times we describe the Holy Spirit as a feeling which can make it difficult to differentiate between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and our own emotions. That is why it is so important to revert back to step one to make sure what you are "feeling" or are convicted of matches with God's Word
3) Godly Counsel: Proverbs 13:20 tells us that those who walk with the wise will be wise. It was never God's plan for us to journey life alone. Matthew 18:20 says, "Whenever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." God certainly uses other believers to speak truth into our lives.
4) Common Sense: Now while the will of God may not always seem logical, God did give us sound minds and intends for us to use them. If something seems to go against common sense, it is wise to reconsider it... and revert back to steps 1-3. Even the times when God's will does not appear to follow common sense - God usually opens the doors to make it evidently clear what He requires of you.

Because I know many of you will ask, I have no idea what is next. I anticipate that I would continue to work in Albert Lea and commute from Rochester until at least March 14th. I do feel that God is preparing me for something new, in some place new. I am praying and asking God to reveal what that opportunity is for me. In this entire process, God has never revealed more than one step at a time to me. I believe that God is teaching me to trust Him and asking me to step out in obedience. I feel confident that God will reveal what the next chapter in my story looks like in His own timing, but in the mean time I would appreciate your prayers in the matter.