This is the beginning of a new journey of faith…
I haven’t really written much lately. November to now has turned into the busiest part of my life in a few years. The last few months have flown by. Between work, family, and life in our new church home, Clarity Church, we have been going, planning, and doing with little time for rest.
I am blessed to be a father to a young man who is growing in Christ and husband to an amazing Christ loving woman that honors me and makes me proud to be a married man.
At home we were hit with a household flu epidemic. The house sprang a few new leaks as the spring thaw led into the official “wet season”. Because of this and other reasons, we have started looking for a new home closer to our church family. I am struggling with the decision to go back to college to get a degree with a focus on ministry. (The degree isn’t the issue, the time away from the family and the financial burden of taking on student debt are mind blowing.) I have taken up archery as a form of exercise, meditation and relaxation. Our son’s school and social life kicked up as he has had a chance to be a part of life with other Christ loving young men. Additionally, Debbie and I were given the opportunity to be the facilitators for Clarity Community South, our (Clarity Church) small group offering for the southern part of Plymouth and Maple Grove. With all of that going on, our lives have been really busy, but family life is pretty great. I am blessed to be a father to a young man who is growing in Christ and husband to an amazing Christ loving woman that honors me and makes me proud to be a married man.
Work has been crazy as my teams shift sizes and focus. However, even with those shifts we have made HUGE improvements to our back-end systems as a whole. Processes took 3-5 days to run just over a year ago, now take under 2 hours. System support needs have picked up but I have the most amazing team I work with. I can’t speak entirely for Debbie but I know her office has been crazy busy, but she also works with a great team. Again I am truly blessed in this area as well.
Overall, we have been busy, but we have been pretty happy with our path.
Recently, we had a new little wrinkle in our thoughts and plans.
My brain has once again, decided that it is time to act up. A few weeks ago I had another incident where stroke-like symptoms manifested in life. I was having problems putting words together and then lost sensation to the left side of my body. One amazingly expensive ER trip later and I still know very little about the why’s and how’s of this experience. Aside from the expense of medical visits and tests and the not knowing, there are still interruptions in our finances, education and finding a new home. These things, and more, all take a back seat to this new version of normal. More doctor’s visits, new medications, new medical tests.
I feel like crying out “It’s Not Fair”. But the reality is, that I have been given so much, that I can’t possibly think that I deserve ANY of these blessings
I know that this is hard on Debbie. We started this journey with the intent to make the most of the time we have left, having missed almost 20 years together. So I know _-= I =-_ feel like crying out “It’s Not Fair”. But the reality is, that I have been given so much, that I can’t possibly think that I deserve ANY of these blessing. The things I have experienced in my life. The goals I have been allowed to accomplish. The amazing family I get to be a part of. I have even seen the prayers of my heart I have poured out for others, come to fruition over the last few months. These are all gifts of God’s grace so I can’t possibly be mad for what I am going through now. So, once again, I must trust that God has a plan and will use this to do amazing things in our lives and the lives of others.
I ask for prayers for my family. Prayers for Debbie and our son. I would like to ask for prayers of discernment and wisdom for the doctors and even for me as I do through these tests and examinations. May the Spirit give me wisdom and guidance to make the most of the time I have for the Kingdom of God and my family. I may have many years left to live, but each day, and every moment is important and precious.
Personally, I pray I can be a better husband and father every day. I pray I am a better example of a servant leader at work, at home, and in our community.
I apologize if this wasn’t the “Catch-up” you wanted, but it’s honest and it’s what we are going through.
Thanks for reading.
May God bless your walk and your work, at home, at school or in the office.
May Jesus have His way with your day
He is Founder and consultant for Tek Management,
Founder of the Men’s Leadership site: CalebStrong.org,
Co-Founder of the online Bible study app: BibleCounts
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