"Hello! Goodbye!"

God sure does bring surprises into our lives.  Eight years ago this week, God brought Zannie and me to one of the greatest churches on the face of the earth, Clements Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama.  I was a salesman and passionate Sunday School director who God allowed to serve Him vocationally full-time as a minister of education.  Then low and behold, He decided that it was time for us to go elsewhere.  And I am convinced that, once again, He has placed us in one of the greatest churches on the face of the earth, Decatur Baptist Church in Decatur, Alabama.

For people who change jobs every few years, I suppose it would be rather hard to understand the angst that is taking place in my heart.  On the one hand, we are leaving family.  Eight years is enough time to see see elementary children graduate from high school and enter college.  It's time to see students join the military, get married, have children and start whole new lives.  It's time to see God work in good people's lives who had served faithfully within the body of the church then realize that they, up to that point, only had lots of religion then enter into a personal realationship with Jesus Christ. It's enough time to fall deeply in love with the people God had called you to serve.  It's enought time for them to truly become family.

On the other hand, we are getting a whole new family.  God is the only One who knows whether we'll be at Decatur Baptist Church for another eight years or 28 years.  (That would put me at 87.  I have always said that Caleb was one of my heroes of the faith.)  In any case, God knows and He knows the blessings He has in store for us at Decatur.  We have trusted Him in this time of decision-making and we'll trust Him in the time of transition.  We'll trust Him to bring victory in all situations.

Thank you, God, for wanting only Your best for us.