It's a New Day

Well, today is a new day. I know everyday is new, but today feels extra new! I guess the cat's out of the bag now, and I would really love to get some of my feelings out, so here comes the blog! This weekend, the announcement was made that Alan and I are going to step away from leading praise and worship at Church on the Rock. It has been a very emotional week because we have made the announcement to several different groups and honestly it has been a bit exhausting. I think it was mainly because Alan was in Israel and had been gone for about 10 days, so I felt like I was dealing with all of the questions on my own. I knew when I made this decision that there would be a lot of questions and the only thing I really dreaded was having the same conversation 100 times!! Oh well, I knew it was coming so I just decided to suck it up and answer all the questions that people had with a smile.

It has honestly been received much better than I thought it would be. And I am soooo happy about that!! I have been involved in the praise and worship ministry at our church since I was 14 years old. I started leading worship for our youth group at that time. In the past 14 years I have led for the youth, the college, and the adult services at different times. I have loved my job mostly because of the wonderful people I get to serve with every week. My greatest friends are people on the team and during this transition they have all been so supportive! When you step out in obedience to what you know God has called you to do, there is always a fear that it will not be understood or well received. Our team has done just the opposite. They are excited about what is in store for me and Alan. In turn, I am very excited to watch them grow and step out in their giftings. I feel like a Mother Hen watching her little chicks hatch and grow into their own. I can't wait to see what God does through them.

So on to the burning question, "what are you guys going to be doing?" Well, lots of things! First off, we always want to be in a place where we can put our family first. With 3 growing girls, there are many times when being committed to something every weekend and 2-3 nights a week on top of work during the day, is just too much. The other main factor is our desire to write and record music. This is something that we've done a little bit of but haven't had the time to really dive in and see what is really there. All of these reasons don't compare to the number one and that is simply because we know God asked us to, so we want to be obedient. Worship will always be at the core of who we are and I hope to continue to have opportunities to lead worship, work with worship teams, teach on worship and whatever else God has for me!

Obviously there are some things about this change that are very hard. The unrelenting peace that I have had throughout this transition is what is keeping the smile on my face! I am so very excited about the things to come. Each step of this process just brings a new joy!! I am so glad I serve a God that is so much bigger than my little mind and I want to walk in His grace and peace always, and I know I am doing that now.

I can't even begin to express how blessed I have been at Church on the Rock. Back in October, 2007 we received a prophetic from Norman Barnes and part of that word was about what a great training ground it has been for us. I truly believe that. The opportunity I have had there has been incredible! I know that it will continue to be a place where we grow and have opportunity to serve and minister in different ways. The church staff and leadership have always believed in us and given us the freedom to try things. My dad (who is the Senior Pastor) has put so much trust in me and that has really empowered me to be a strong leader and trust in the gifts and the anointing that God has put on me. I am excited to see the blessings in store for COTR.

I don't think I even know everything that God has in store for us. That's what makes this fun. His plans for us are bigger than anything I could ever come up with and that's right where I want to be!!