Today I started the process of sorting, packing, finishing assignments, and handing over responsibilities as I prepare to leave one job and begin another later this summer. I was struck by the promise of this ancient hymn… not just in the present “end” and “departing” but the future “ultimate departure.”

The process of change and movement into new roles and jobs is not easy, but it is clear that the opportunities ahead of me are with God’s blessing and direction. I have mixed emotions, but the plus side of accepting a different kind of challenge is so huge. I really can’t turn it down.

In the wake of preaching last week, several conversations have been peppered with questions:
Are you SURE you should stop working for our church? (I can’t do both!)
Won’t you miss preaching? (Ummmm…. 2 times a year is hard to “miss”… just about anywhere will give me more opportunity!)
Why are you REALLY leaving? (OK, Captain Obvious aside – what a nosy question! – it is clearly a great opportunity and I would be crazy to not take it on!)
What will you do after you graduate? (“no clue” about covers it!)

This church was my first “Call” and, as one friend puts it, you never forget your first church. I am in this for the long haul and I know that there is a place where for me — where, God only knows.

And that really is OK.

Deb