A “Momentous” Day

Well maybe momentous is a strong word, but it was definitely a day to marvel at the goodness of God. You see in March of 2013, I bought a brand new dark blue Dodge Grand Caravan. It was the first new vehicle I had ever purchased to drive for myself. I was 49 years old and to be honest I was more than a little scared. I was working a job that was no longer working out, I was told I would be downsized before long, and the idea of taking on a new car payment was pretty terrifying. The church I planted with my wife and some friends a decade before had closed the previous year, and my dreams of pastoral ministry kind of died with it.

I bought the van because I was starting to get to travel doing art ministry and I needed something reliable to haul my equipment from place to place. That van was a leap of faith at a time when my faith could have been A LOT stronger, nonetheless the van and I were off to the races and for this to work God was going to have to really come through. Well He did.

Oh it was a bumpy road at times. Two years after I signed on the dotted line, the job really did get outsourced. 51 years old, no degree, lapsed skills and two months from becoming a grandfather. What would I do? I was speaking a few times a year, but not making enough to make a living. What would I do? I was panicked. I felt I failed as a pastor, my computer skills were lagging behind what I needed to get another design job. I was lost.

When my church closed I became a member of a dear friend’s church, where I got sometime to heal. The Sunday after I lost my job was the last Sunday I attended the church. Miraculously, God opened doors for me to speak nearly every week. About the time the schedule started to slow, I got a call from our district office asking if I would consider serving as an interim pastor at a nice little country church for three months. I thought, “I can do anything for three months.” so I took a shot at it. I should have known something was up. The weekend after I accepted the interim, I ministered at a church where the pastor told me he was an interim. I asked how long he was there, and he said, “11 years.” Well it’s been four years for me, and I couldn’t be happier.

About now you might be getting impatient. “What’s so momentous about today?” Well today, on my way to church, I rolled up 150,000 miles on my van. Six times around the world in that front seat. About 3,000 hours, most of them in one form of ministry or another. And as I think about it, I praise God. He has changed my life in those years, in ways that were nothing short of momentous. I now have a bachelor’s degree in creative ministry, much of which was learned in those travels, and I’m nearing my Masters. I’ve preached and painting in hundreds of venues, met thousands of wonderful people, made life long friends, discovered a passion for a new kind of ministry (special needs ministry), became a grandfather, celebrated my 25th and 30th wedding anniversary, seems some of the most beautiful parts of God’s creation as I preached God’s Word in at least 18 states, and so much more. Most importantly, I’ve found, with God’s help, I can still be a pastor, even while wracking up thousands of miles in a dark blue minivan.
Friend, I don’t know where you are at in your journey today, but can I tell you, God is faithful.

Trust Him, take a leap of faith if He leads and see where He will take you. Something tells me, it will be momentous for you too.