What a Wonderful Ride

Yesterday morning my wife, Amy, & I placed an offer on a house in Blaine. Last night we received word that the offer was accepted—no counter-offer. Amy called me with this news as I was driving through the neighborhood of our new house.

The house we selected is beautiful, in a fantastic neighborhood and is 200 yards from a huge park.

Of course, everything is contingent on normal stuff on which lawyers and real estate agents are experts. The closing for our house in Rochester and the closing for our new house is tentatively scheduled for June 15.

What I know is another important milestone on the journey to this new call has happened.

The last six months have been quite a journey. Today I can’t help but reflect on other important milestones that have taken place in the past five and a half months.

November 22-23
Interviewed with the Chain of Lakes Pastor Nominating Committee and did a Neutral Pulpit.

November 24
Offered the job.

November 25
Negotiated a salary. Thanks to Amy the end result was very satisfying.

Week of November 30
Shared the news of my departure with the congregation at Community Presbyterian in Plainview.

December 5
Came up to the office for my first meeting with John Ivers, the man who kept alive the dream of a new Presbyterian church in Blaine/Lino Lakes.

December
Shared our news with friends.

December 24
Last Christmas Eve service in Plainview.

January 10
Presbytery votes on my call to Chain of Lakes.

January 17
Last Leader’s Retreat in Plainview. We decided to ask the Session to have Dwight Do Bell supply pastoral services for six months.

January 21
Jeff Gravon passed away. He had battled cancer. He was one of my closest childhood friends.

January 24, 26
I preached at Jeff’s two funeral services—one in New Prague and one in Worthington.

Late Jan./early Feb.
Presbyterian Church of the Way lets me stay for FREE in their parish house.

February 1
Unbelievably powerful service of Confirmation in Plainview.

February 7
Unbelievably powerful going away party in Plainview.

February 8
Unbelievably (well you get the idea) last worship service in Plainview.

February 16
First day of work at Chain of lakes. First Steering Committee meeting. And your name is ____, and your name is ____, and your name is _____. Wrote my first blog.

February 25
First gathering of Emerging Community—we’ve met almost every week since.

March 3
Happy 45th birthday.

March 16
Start blogging regularly on week days.

March 25
Meet the Pastor event—24 people came—15 adults and nine youth.

Late March
Put our house in Rochester on the market.

Early April
Signed Purchase Agreement on our house in Rochester. This happened three weeks after we put the house on the market.

April 9
Agape Feast—27 people came—22 adults and five youth. Collected 85 pounds of food for the Food Shelf.

Week of April 19
Exponential New Church Development Conference in Orlando.

May 2-3
Look at houses in Blaine/Lino Lakes.

May 4
Had our offer accepted on house in Blaine/Lino Lakes.

What a wonderful ride!!