Signing Off for a Season

For several weeks now I have been jacking up my thesis writing so that
I can submit as quickly as possible. My goal is to have it completed and
submitted before I am installed in a ministerial position. I could, if I
wanted to, complete the thesis soon. But I am enjoying working through
some tough issues regarding the Church's mission, and I won't have an
opportunity like this again. So, I keep plodding along. I am grateful to
the Lord for the time with my thesis that has been granted to me by the
university. I sense that the time for a church ministry placement is near.
I am conversing with one vacancy now. If that one is not the place I go,
I expect that a call from some parish position is in the nearer future
rather than later in the year.

But I am not certain of anything. Over the decades of walking with
Jesus I have learned that God is a God of Great Surprizes. There have
been times I feel very well taken care of, and so I continue to rest in
God's loving hands. There have been times that I have felt like I was
close to sheer panic. In those situations I take a deep breath, remem-
ber all that the Lord has done for us and for me, and move on in the
hope that only Jesus can provide all that I need. The last three years
have been very challenging and difficult for me, yet now that I look
back, they were pure gold, and I wouldn't trade those hard years for
anything else.

But right now I have to focus like a laser beam on two things: my thesis
and a church placement. So I am signing off from the blog for a length
of time that is yet to be determined. I may post something occasionally,
but I may not. Just know that I am doing very well, and I look forward
to posting again at a later date.

As always, blessings to you and yours,