Since last June, I've been playing at a church small church about 5 miles from our home. They got my name from someone at Spring Arbor, and called to see if I could fill in one week. I played off and on for them through the summer. In August they asked if I would consider playing more often. After some thought, Mike and I decided to go ahead with it. I continued playing 3 Sundays a month. This has continued with the idea that they would be...
a) hiring someone new full-time
b) the lady who previously played would come back (she had taken a hiatus as her husband was in failing health)
Today, the man who has been my contact person, came and talked to me about the church wanting to hire me full-time. Basically I'd just be there main pianist.. I don't know that it would involve much more work than it does now... Mike and I have always felt that we wanted to be a part of a church, not just me be "playing" at a church. I could easily get a job at any church playing, but we don't want that. We want to be part of a church body, we want to grow, connect, worship, serve.
For months now we've been going back and forth between this little church in Concord, and Spring Arbor. We've talked here and there about either
a) moving to concord completely
b) quitting concord and going back to SAFMC
We really like Concord. It's a small very close knit church. There are maybe 50-60 total people there. With that comes an incredibly close-knit body of Christ, also with that comes an opportunity to minister, to be really involved...
but with all of that means we leave the church we've grown to love for the past 4 years.... a church that Mike is currently seeking ordination in, a church we really truly love.....
We feel very stuck. We've grown to love both churches for different reasons, but we also feel like the flip-flopping back and forth is getting old and makes it hard for us to really be involved in one or the other... we feel like it's decision time one way or the other..
would you be in prayer for us over this? It's not about the money at all, but we really want to seek what the Lord would have for us as a family right now.... that we would do what He has for us.
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
06 February, 2011
11 August, 2008
pictures from VBS
the banana pallete to be shipped :)
the rocks... 
the entryway
more entryway
my favorite.. our giant tree :)
08 August, 2008
vacation bible school
so this week we have been working working working on some projects for our church's vacation bible school coming up. we have spent every night working, some late... things are getting close to being done. HOORAY!!
The theme is A Veggie Tale Pirates... so the stage will look like a ship and the entry way will look kind of tropic\island....
"supplies" for the boat
mike being silly
cutting out our ship's steering wheel
almost complete!!
The theme is A Veggie Tale Pirates... so the stage will look like a ship and the entry way will look kind of tropic\island....
The rocks before we painted them... there are 6 of these guys!!!
"supplies" for the boat
mike being silly
cutting out our ship's steering wheel
almost complete!!
22 January, 2008
Family Update
We've had an interesting couple of weeks. The first week of January, Mike spent out in California. I missed him terribly, being home by yourself, is about the most boring event ever! I also learned that I'm a HUGE wimp!! I lived on my own for 2 years after college, before getting married. 1 week of my husband being gone and I hated it. I hated coming home late at night in the dark, I hated going to bed by myself. Funny how a few years can change things like that. It was good for me though.
Mike enjoyed his class immensely! He had the opportunity to study under Dallas Willard, a well-known philosopher of the modern church, and also a professor at USC. He was finally able to meet his cohorts from class. The name they've given each other. It was a blessing for him to meet those he has come to love through his classes. He has had these last couple of weeks off which has been a true blessing. Its hard to balance working, school, and being husband and wife, so these last couple of weeks, we have definitely vegged out and enjoyed just being together with no agenda. Mike will start his next set of classes in about a week or so. The more he is in the program, the more we see that this is where God wants us to be. We really sense His leading in it, and Mike is really growing through these classes.
I (Jen) am keeping busy with teaching, however this month has been really light due to scheduling at the symphony. Next week, I start up again full-swing and won't get much of a break until April. Festival season is coming up which is crazy for me. It is my busiest time of year, and while I love that, and I really love what I do, I spend a lot of time on the road, and a lot of time with extra rehearsals, so Mike and I don't see as much of each other. It is good though, and I always enjoy this time of year, no matter how insane it gets!!
We are FINALLY starting to get involved in our church. We've been kind of on the brink for a while. We started attending a new church over the summer. We spent the summer investigating the church, and then decided that we wanted to start getting involved. Right about then, we found out we were pregnant. So, those plans kind of changed. We didn't want to over commit ourselves. Mike got involved, but I hung out in the wings. When we lost the baby in November, we really didn't want to be involved and hung low and just took time to be together, and begin the healing process. So, finally we are again to the point where we feel like we can get involved, and really looking forward to that opportunity. Mike has been playing his bass guitar in the band, and I'm going to start getting involved in the first service. After speaking with the music pastor, we decided that I would be better suited for the first service because I can read music, while the 2nd service plays more by ear and chord charts, which I enjoy doing, but more people can do that, than can read music. We are also going to be getting involved in a community group, which is a small group of people that you can get to know. Its kind of up to you what your group becomes, but it will be interesting to see where that leads.
We are just chugging along, praying for God's will in our lives as Mike takes these classes, and as we begin to again consider having a family. Its such a huge leap of faith to head down that road again. Our views of pregnancy have forever been altered. We will never look at it like we did the first time. I will never be blissfully naive about pregnancy again. In fact, I dare say, that seeing those "2 lines" will never be an act of joy, but the beginning of worry. However, we know that God says that the days are planned before us, and that we should not worry about tomorrow.
We are trusting that this is God's will for us. For whatever reason, He chose this path for us, and we are doing our best to trust Him in that, and glorify God through it. I think we are both beginning to realize that this will forever be a part of who we are as a couple. I couldn't be more thankful for the friends and family that have supported us, and continue to support us through this time. We choose to press on, and continue the race, knowing that God has a plan for us individually, and as a couple.
Mike enjoyed his class immensely! He had the opportunity to study under Dallas Willard, a well-known philosopher of the modern church, and also a professor at USC. He was finally able to meet his cohorts from class. The name they've given each other. It was a blessing for him to meet those he has come to love through his classes. He has had these last couple of weeks off which has been a true blessing. Its hard to balance working, school, and being husband and wife, so these last couple of weeks, we have definitely vegged out and enjoyed just being together with no agenda. Mike will start his next set of classes in about a week or so. The more he is in the program, the more we see that this is where God wants us to be. We really sense His leading in it, and Mike is really growing through these classes.
I (Jen) am keeping busy with teaching, however this month has been really light due to scheduling at the symphony. Next week, I start up again full-swing and won't get much of a break until April. Festival season is coming up which is crazy for me. It is my busiest time of year, and while I love that, and I really love what I do, I spend a lot of time on the road, and a lot of time with extra rehearsals, so Mike and I don't see as much of each other. It is good though, and I always enjoy this time of year, no matter how insane it gets!!
We are FINALLY starting to get involved in our church. We've been kind of on the brink for a while. We started attending a new church over the summer. We spent the summer investigating the church, and then decided that we wanted to start getting involved. Right about then, we found out we were pregnant. So, those plans kind of changed. We didn't want to over commit ourselves. Mike got involved, but I hung out in the wings. When we lost the baby in November, we really didn't want to be involved and hung low and just took time to be together, and begin the healing process. So, finally we are again to the point where we feel like we can get involved, and really looking forward to that opportunity. Mike has been playing his bass guitar in the band, and I'm going to start getting involved in the first service. After speaking with the music pastor, we decided that I would be better suited for the first service because I can read music, while the 2nd service plays more by ear and chord charts, which I enjoy doing, but more people can do that, than can read music. We are also going to be getting involved in a community group, which is a small group of people that you can get to know. Its kind of up to you what your group becomes, but it will be interesting to see where that leads.
We are just chugging along, praying for God's will in our lives as Mike takes these classes, and as we begin to again consider having a family. Its such a huge leap of faith to head down that road again. Our views of pregnancy have forever been altered. We will never look at it like we did the first time. I will never be blissfully naive about pregnancy again. In fact, I dare say, that seeing those "2 lines" will never be an act of joy, but the beginning of worry. However, we know that God says that the days are planned before us, and that we should not worry about tomorrow.
We are trusting that this is God's will for us. For whatever reason, He chose this path for us, and we are doing our best to trust Him in that, and glorify God through it. I think we are both beginning to realize that this will forever be a part of who we are as a couple. I couldn't be more thankful for the friends and family that have supported us, and continue to support us through this time. We choose to press on, and continue the race, knowing that God has a plan for us individually, and as a couple.
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