A Time of Transition

This week marks a significant transition in my life. Friday was my last day at Micron and tomorrow I will start my new job. The team I worked with had a farewell lunch for the three of us who were leaving and afterwards I stopped by my new office to drop off the boxes in my car since it was right across the street. As you can see from the picture to the left, I was quite surprised by the computer they had set up for me. For the less enlightened among you, that computer is a Tandy TRS-80 Model III (affectionately known as a Trash 80) circa 1980. What a great group of people. I am so looking forward to working with them. In fact, I think I’ll bring donuts for all on Monday morning.

On Tuesday my son will return home after his year at Anthem. He has spent most of the past month on his missions trip which included stops in Dallas and New Orleans before the main outreach in the Dominican Republic. I am very much looking forward to hearing about all of his experiences in school and on his missions outreach. It’s been a lonely year without having my computer gaming buddy around. I’m looking forward to some father/son time.

This week is also my last week of involvement in Vineyard Leadership Institute. I’ve been involved with VLI for over 5 years with two as a student and three as an Assistant Coordinator with a brief stint recently as the Site Coordinator. The final final exam is this Thursday. It’s such a great program but it just hasn’t thrived in our current church culture. I’m not sure what it is. Perhaps it is the high level of commitment, the cost, or simply inadequate promotion. Whatever the reason, it will be sad to see it go. I went into the classroom to sort through all of the materials this weekend and was touched by the nostalgia.

This week also turned out to be the week that my friend Chad informed me that he is embarking on a new journey. I’ve known Chad for almost 10 years. First as a pastor, then as a mentor, and ultimately as a friend (I use the word ultimately there in both senses of the word – completion and magnitude). It just won’t be the same without him. I’d like to talk more about this but I am still in process and I’m not sure that it would be profitable to do so. Let me summarize with this: I long for the day when the church can live in true relationship. I long for the day when brothers and sisters don’t vote each other off the island. I long for the day when we don’t have to shed tears because people we love on both sides of a grievance cannot find reconciliation.

So what next? Well, I’m sure that I will have a big challenge in my new position. I have a lot to learn to get up-to-speed and will probably spend a lot of time reading Visual C++ books and such. I will also be focusing solely on marriage ministries in the absence of VLI and there is a lot going on in that area right now. There are some new couples who will be training this month to facilitate the Dynamic Marriage class alongside Sharon and I and we are already signing people up for classes in the fall. And, of course, I’m looking forward to spending some time with my son. The computers have been upgraded and I’ve installed some great new games for us to play together.

Though this past year has been exceedingly difficult, I am so thankful that God allowed my faith to be tested. I am grateful that he has shown me how much I have that truly matters. I am also so very thankful for the many blessings that he has poured out upon me and my family. I am amazed by his mercy and grace.