The End of a short, but meaningful era
Death and Taxes; we know we can’t avoid them. To see God without dying is a privilege only Elijah experienced in the Old Testament. Hebrews 9:27 says “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” It is appointed for us to die. When, where, and how is written in God’s appointment book. To avoid taxes is unethical, not to mention illegal. Very few ever get away with not “rendering to Caesar.”
If we live out our lives with the single desire to be pleasing to our Heavenly Father, there is something else distinctly unavoidable for us. And that is….CHANGE! Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” If I’m a soft, moldable piece of clay in the hands of God, he will bring us to, and take us through, changes in the course of life, even though our plans may have been to stay on the course we were on.
Many of you know that I’ve been a member of The Shepherdsmen Quartet for about a year and a half. We recorded 2 CDs with me as a member, logged countless miles in the bus, witnessed the Lord do amazing things in us and through us, and experienced friendships that will last a lifetime. There was no end in sight, and we were looking forward to 2008 as another year of great music and ministry.
Here are a couple more scriptures… 1 Corinthians 2:9 “Eye has not seen , no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” And Colossians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory…”
God, in his wisdom, had another path for me. Unexpectedly I was approached by the pastor of Logan Street Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, IL, and was offered the position of Contemporary Worship Leader. This is something that I had not pursued, nor did I know they were looking for such a person. Tina and I took a few days to pray about it, and felt very strongly that I was to accept the position.
Needless to say, we knew that business as usual with The Shepherdsmen would be affected. To be committed to both would mean that the effectiveness of each ministry would suffer. Discussions led to the decision that the quartet should forge ahead without me; to find a replacement so that they can move forward without hindrance, ministering as often as possible; which would be nearly impossible with me needing to be at Logan Street every Sunday morning.
So I leave behind fond memories of effective labor for God’s Kingdom as a member of The Shepherdsmen Quartet. And I look forward to the challenges and blessings that lie ahead, as a new season of ministry begins at Logan Street Baptist.
I close this post with one of my favorite “promise” scriptures. Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
I pray today that you remain soft in his hands.
Brian
Pursuing God 