On my mind today

Sort of anyway. All of our things are in the Frankston parsonage and many of them are even unboxed. Yet the house is strewn with boxes, tape, packing materials, and just plain ol' junk! We didn't break much - a coffee cup, an inexpensive pitcher, a fruit bowl and a creamer - not bad for the speed with which we packed and moved! We were very pleased with how it went. We've said our tearful "see you laters" to our MBC family so now we're all set for our vacation. Pray for us while we're gone. See the next post for info on our vacation!

A very special thank-you to some important people - Stile, Bryson, Phil and R.G. - you guys are lifesavers. Without their help in getting all our junk loaded, we'd probably still be at it! They drove all the way over to Corsicana for us to abuse them all day long (especially with that sleeper sofa!). Despite the 85% chance of rain, we never saw it! Another special thanks to Judy, Johnny, Sue, Jim, Ruth Coach Holcomb and anyone else who came to help us get into the parsonage. Have you ever considered how much junk you accumulate? Not unless you're moving, right? We were the same way. We rented the biggest truck Budget had to offer (24') and still needed a 20' trailer, two pickup beds and Julie's Trailblazer to get all our junk over there! Wow. I didn't think we had enough to fill the 24' truck! So we backed the truck up to the door and got busy. It took about three hours to load up. When we finally got done, we drove over - mercifully, some of you were there ...

So I'm back home now, done with my stint at Navarro College. My students were great and I'll miss them and the interchange of ideas. Perhaps the Lord will open a door to teaching again later. Now, my attention shifts fully to moving! Julie has been packing like a mad-woman and she has just about got the house packed up - and not a minute too soon! Our fellas are coming on Thursday to load it all up on the truck we secured (thanks U-Haul!) and we'll be on our way to our new home in Frankston. I'm so excited about the coming days at FBC and eagerly look forward to getting started. We'll get it started on June 1!

Today is done and I'm really glad. It's not often I feel that way about Sunday's, but today was no ordinary Sunday. I announced my resignation as the pastor of Memorial this morning, an event I had prepared for, but wasn't really ready for how I felt about it. The faces of my MBC family were so sad and to think I was the cause was difficult if not heart-wrenching. I preached a message (How Much do YOU trust Me? Luke 8) more for my own benefit than for our members, but it was definitively from the heart, a fact I hope that came across. I'd planned another one, but felt CERTAIN on Friday morning that it wasn't right. So I went to work and wrote another message. I'll not soon forget today, but I'd rather not go through it again. It was a mixed bag, however, as today was also our annual church homecoming known to us as Celebration Day. We had a party in spite of my news. Parties are always fun and today was as well. The picture above is my dear friend Dustin...

Some days are just bigger than others, arent' they? I just got home from one of the most eventful days I've had in a while. We signed the paperwork to begin the sale of our home this morning. Shocking as it might be, we've contracted to sell our home (in a buyers market, mind you) inside of a work week. I wouldn't have had the courage to ask the Lord for something so big. Unbelievable. Fortunately, they don't want to move in until June, so we've got some time on our hands but then again, we've got vacation coming soon.

Ready for a real surprise? We weren't. We had a "House for sale" sign left over from my in-laws house when they sold there a couple of years ago. Before I left yesterday morning, I stuck it in the ground with our phone number listed on it. Within a three hours, we had already had someone stop by to check it out. By the end of the day, we had a family who said they would be back with a contract today! CRAZY! We really weren't ready for that so we've been scrambling around trying to get our business in order - bankers, lawyers, etc. The fun is just beginning!