Tonight, an announcement was made at our church that I thought I would never hear. This evening, Pastor announced to the church family of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church that my family and I were being led of the Lord to begin serving at Lancaster Baptist Church in Lancaster, California. This all began several months ago with the Lord stirring my heart and speaking to me about the possibility that His plans for my future may be different than my plans.
Susanah and I spent months in intense prayer, fasting, and getting counsel. After much struggle, toil, and prayer, we felt not only a confidence but also a peace that God was rewriting our plans and that we needed to trust in Him.
Along the way, I shared my heart with my father and pastor (who happens to be the same person :) ), and he graciously prayed with me through every step of the way. In the beginning of June, I communicated to Him that I felt the Lord was leading my family and I away from Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. We decided to spend that month in intense prayer, and ask the Lord to affirm His leading. At the beginning of July, I met with my dad again and said that the Lord, indeed, was confirming in my heart that He would be leading me away.
Pastor then asked me where I would go, and I told him I did not know as to this point, I had just been praying about whether or not God was going to allow me to stay in Chico. We then prayed for another week and asked for the Lord’s leading. During that week while we were praying, the Lord brought to mind how during the month of June, Dr. Paul Chappell had connected with pastor and asked him if he could communicate with me about some needs there at Lancaster Baptist Church. Pastor spoke with me about that and we just committed it to prayer as we were already praying about what God was doing in my heart and life during that month. So, when pastor and I met again, I asked him if we could pray about the possibility of me visiting Lancaster to determine if it was the Lord’s leading.
We met again on Monday, July 16, and I told pastor that I felt I should go to Lancaster and see specifically what the needs were and if that was where the Lord was leading me. I began to make arrangements for the meeting and had an early morning flight on Thursday. I got to the airport early and made it through security quickly and got to my terminal about thirty minutes before I needed to board.
I found a gate nearby that was empty and sat down and began to read my Bible, and I was reading in 1 Chronicles 28, and came to verse 9 which says, “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.”
When I read this verse, it was as if God said to me, “Son, if you seek Me, I will bless you, and if you forsake Me, I will curse you.” I prayed and asked the Lord to give me a willing heart. As I continued to read that chapter, I came to verse 20 which says, “And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.” It was in that moment that God spoke to me through His Word, and told me, “Son, I am moving you and your family from Chico to Lancaster, and I want you to trust me, and I will give you the strength and courage to do it.”
I was so elated at that moment to think that the creator of this universe would speak directly to me. How grateful I am, even tonight, to be reminded that God speaks my language. I thank God for the work He did in my heart and certainly will never forget it. At the same time, the reality that God was asking me to do the hardest thing to-date in my life was almost overwhelming.
The rest of the trip at that point was really nothing more than a formality as I knew what God was asking me to do. I was officiating a wedding down in southern California and spent much of that weekend with the Lord. I came home and told my wife all that God had done, and on one hand we were rejoicing, and on the other hand we were coming to grips with reality that God was rewriting our dreams.
That Sunday evening, we told our children. On Monday, July 23, I met with pastor and shared with him all that God had done in my heart. Pastor had me address the staff on Tuesday. Since then there have been several meetings in small groups with key leaders and a lot of personal visits and phone calls. Tonight, the formal announcement was made to the church family, and their support was gracious and overwhelming.
I have tried to claim Proverbs 3:5-6 throughout this journey, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” I have asked the Lord to help me lean not unto my own understanding but to let Him lead and direct my paths.
Psalm 23 has spoken to me so much during this season, and I am confident it is the Lord who is leading me, and He will always lead me in the paths of righteousness. This is not about me, but it is for His name’s sake.
There is no problem and we feel in our hearts that we are not leaving Pleasant Valley Baptist Church but rather that God is leading our family away. I love my father, pastor, boss, hero, and best friend with all my heart. This is certainly the Lord asking my family and I to do a hard thing. We love Pleasant Valley Baptist Church and the dear people there.
We are in our eleventh year of pouring our lives into the ministry, and we have done our best to put our hand to the plow and never look back. This is not an opportunity we were looking for or asking for or have taken lightly. The only explanation for this move is that this is the Lord’s leading and it is His will. We covet your prayers for both Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, my family and I.
It is my sincere prayer that the greatest years of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church are just ahead and that people’s faith will not be hindered as a result of what God is doing in our lives but only strengthened. We pray God will use our family for His name’s sake. Thank you in advance for your prayers.
