Preparing...
Em and I are preparing to leave DC and move to Boise, Idaho. Our estimated time of departure is late April/early May. Because we know we are not going to be here in DC forever, we have become intentional about how we spend our free time. Two weeks ago, we traveled to the Outer Banks (North Carolina) and took in the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean as well as some amazing history – Kitty Hawk (Wright Brothers’ first flight), Roanoke (The Lost Colony). Pretty amazing.
Even more amazing have been the times of connecting at the soul with each other during the drives.
We love taking road trips because we get a chance to focus on each other while going on adventures with each other.
We’ve also become quite addicted to podcasts, especially those of Mosaic, a culturally relevant church in Los Angeles led by Erwin McManus. Check out the podcast at http://mosaic.org/podcast/feed/. It’s free and can be downloaded via iTunes or iPodder at http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/index.php. iPodder is now called Juice for some reason.
This past Saturday, we went to Annapolis for the day and actually stepped into the room where the Treaty of Paris was signed and where George Washington made the critical decision not to remain the leader of the army if he was going to be the leader of the country! We also walked down to the bay, ate at Chuck and Ruth’s Delly (yes, Delly not Deli (), and checked out the Naval Academy.
While we sat on the dock at the bay, we had one of those “update” conversations – not update in the sense of catching up with each other, but update in the sense of downloading the latest version of the software of the soul.
Months ago, after prayer and fasting, we decided to move back to Idaho. However, after spending Christmas at home in Idaho, we both returned to DC with some dark clouds of doubt and uncertainty looming over our souls.
Questions such as “Why are we moving back?” “What does Idaho have for us?” “How does moving to Idaho fit into our passions?” “Did we just decide to move back to Idaho, or did we really hear from God?”
The last question, “Did we hear from God?” came to the forefront via a McManus message we had listened to on the way up to Annapolis. He emphasized the living voice of God, speaking to us, prompting us to act in obedience. He encouraged his listeners to move on what God has already spoken and actually to refrain from praying for thing for which we will not offer up ourselves as the solution.
Em and I really did hear from God and neither of us will forget the flight out of Boise in September when we both knew that we were to return. It was uncanny, supernatural, special. And neither of us can really describe it very well. It’s almost as if we know it best when we relive that moment in silence together. Words cannot communicate the depth of that moment.
Back to the dock. While on the dock, we talked about how disconnected we have felt while living in DC. Why? Is it simply the culture of the city? The transitory nature of relationships in a place where many people’s jobs are determined by terms of 2-4 years? Is it our lack of service in our church? Is it our lack of investment in our community? Why do we think things will be different when we move?
In asking these questions, we found ourselves identifying our passions. One of our deepest shared passions is helping others, especially youth who are on the fringe. Both of us have a heart for befriending those who don’t necessarily fit in or who refuse to do so at the expense of violating their own conscience. Some of our most fulfilling moments as a couple have come during times of serving a couple of young boys in Long Beach, California. They needed us, and we found that we needed them.
In the past, our involvement with youth came via our involvement in our church, but our current church doesn’t have any youth (80% of the church is single and the remaining 20% have very few kids ().
While we have greatly appreciated our time at the church, I think we have also gained some insight as we prepare for our move to Idaho: know your passions, know the things that bring you life and energize you, and then find a place where you can pursue those passions.
I’m not saying we ended up at the “wrong” church, and I don’t think we are limited to serving in one capacity. But life is to short to live on the fence, which is what we ended up doing. (By no means is the situation as simplistic as I’ve presented it – we’ve moved three times in the last 5 years and are possibly in the final stages of recovering from burnout, but the application stands).
God has given us passions for a reason. Pursue them. If you’re not in a place where you can do so, find a place or create a space for doing so where you’re at. Feel His pleasure as you do so.
Even more amazing have been the times of connecting at the soul with each other during the drives.
We love taking road trips because we get a chance to focus on each other while going on adventures with each other.
We’ve also become quite addicted to podcasts, especially those of Mosaic, a culturally relevant church in Los Angeles led by Erwin McManus. Check out the podcast at http://mosaic.org/podcast/feed/. It’s free and can be downloaded via iTunes or iPodder at http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/index.php. iPodder is now called Juice for some reason.
This past Saturday, we went to Annapolis for the day and actually stepped into the room where the Treaty of Paris was signed and where George Washington made the critical decision not to remain the leader of the army if he was going to be the leader of the country! We also walked down to the bay, ate at Chuck and Ruth’s Delly (yes, Delly not Deli (), and checked out the Naval Academy.
While we sat on the dock at the bay, we had one of those “update” conversations – not update in the sense of catching up with each other, but update in the sense of downloading the latest version of the software of the soul.
Months ago, after prayer and fasting, we decided to move back to Idaho. However, after spending Christmas at home in Idaho, we both returned to DC with some dark clouds of doubt and uncertainty looming over our souls.
Questions such as “Why are we moving back?” “What does Idaho have for us?” “How does moving to Idaho fit into our passions?” “Did we just decide to move back to Idaho, or did we really hear from God?”
The last question, “Did we hear from God?” came to the forefront via a McManus message we had listened to on the way up to Annapolis. He emphasized the living voice of God, speaking to us, prompting us to act in obedience. He encouraged his listeners to move on what God has already spoken and actually to refrain from praying for thing for which we will not offer up ourselves as the solution.
Em and I really did hear from God and neither of us will forget the flight out of Boise in September when we both knew that we were to return. It was uncanny, supernatural, special. And neither of us can really describe it very well. It’s almost as if we know it best when we relive that moment in silence together. Words cannot communicate the depth of that moment.
Back to the dock. While on the dock, we talked about how disconnected we have felt while living in DC. Why? Is it simply the culture of the city? The transitory nature of relationships in a place where many people’s jobs are determined by terms of 2-4 years? Is it our lack of service in our church? Is it our lack of investment in our community? Why do we think things will be different when we move?
In asking these questions, we found ourselves identifying our passions. One of our deepest shared passions is helping others, especially youth who are on the fringe. Both of us have a heart for befriending those who don’t necessarily fit in or who refuse to do so at the expense of violating their own conscience. Some of our most fulfilling moments as a couple have come during times of serving a couple of young boys in Long Beach, California. They needed us, and we found that we needed them.
In the past, our involvement with youth came via our involvement in our church, but our current church doesn’t have any youth (80% of the church is single and the remaining 20% have very few kids ().
While we have greatly appreciated our time at the church, I think we have also gained some insight as we prepare for our move to Idaho: know your passions, know the things that bring you life and energize you, and then find a place where you can pursue those passions.
I’m not saying we ended up at the “wrong” church, and I don’t think we are limited to serving in one capacity. But life is to short to live on the fence, which is what we ended up doing. (By no means is the situation as simplistic as I’ve presented it – we’ve moved three times in the last 5 years and are possibly in the final stages of recovering from burnout, but the application stands).
God has given us passions for a reason. Pursue them. If you’re not in a place where you can do so, find a place or create a space for doing so where you’re at. Feel His pleasure as you do so.
posted by Dave Jones at 3:16 PM
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