Thankful for a Blessing - New Client

 Yesterday, I would not have labeled the day a "good day". On Friday, we found out we had to be out of the house by February 12th (one month) so we started out the day overwhelmed. Our trip to the camper dealership was stressful to say the least. While at dealership, I missed a call from my mentor, Joe Livingston. When I returned his call, he told me he had an investor calling at 2:15 pm who might be interested in my 825 Monticello Dr listing. He offered to put me on a conference call or come to his house. Brooke and I had so much to do that it seemed more convenient to do a conference call, but something told me it would probably be better to be there in person (plus I had to go by there anyway to pick up some moving boxes).

The offer may work out to be something good for my client on Monticello Dr and I'm definitely learning a lot about this investor-offer process. But this is where the blessing began. After our call with the investor, Joe and I talked out the offer, I asked questions and learned a lot. During this conversation, Joe had to take call which ended up being a family who stopped by his listing at 3409 Wintergreen. They did not have an agent but wanted to view the property. Joe asked if I wanted to go show it and said, "They do not have an agent." THAT is an opportunity too good to pass up, so I headed that way.

I showed the family the house and they really liked it. I told them if they wanted to make an offer, I could help them do that. Or, if they were looking for a new home, I could help them find one. They then asked, "Could you help us sell our current house, too." Could I!!!!! Before they left, I had them signed as a client.

So, in the midst of a day that seemed hard and had a lot of challenges, here is how I remembered this in my journaling this morning: "Thank You for the new client yesterday. YOU put me at the right place at the right time. You arranged for an investor to call at 2:15 pm. You encouraged me to go to Joe's in person for the call. You had this family show up at the Wintergreen house at just the right time. You arranged for Joe to ask me if I wanted to go. You arranged for me to meet a family who is ready to buy and sell and who needs a Realtor. You brought me a new client with the possibility for 2 transactions. Thank you, Jesus!"

How Did You and Mom Meet?

 

From my Storyworth Collection

Today is your mom's and my 29th anniversary, so this seemed like a good question to answer today.

I met your mother at Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI) in August of 1991. We had to arrive on campus the weekend before classes started and we were required to play "orientation games." The purpose of the games was to help you get to know other students, but not being a people person and being rather competitive, I was more into winning the game. I cannot remember how the games went, but I remember one game where we had to ask people questions and I think the questions were divided into lists so there were other people asking the same questions you were (which meant that they were "competition" because the goal was to be the first person to get answers to all your questions.) There was this one southern girl that must have had the same list I did because I kept bumping into her and we were asking the same questions. She was obviously WAY more into meeting people than in winning the game. She seemed to think it was funny that we kept bumping into each other and asking the same questions (despite the fact that this was slowing me down and keeping me from winning the game). I was not successful at winning the game, nor was I successful at staying upset with this girl whom I could not help but notice was particularly cute.

Later that day, we were in line for dinner. The line in the cafeteria was like the line at an amusement park with the ropes strung so that you had to weave back and forth as the line moved. It just so happened that this cute southern girl I met during the orientation games was in line, too. I could not remember her name, but we all had to wear our student ID, so each time the line weaved around, very slyly, I would try to see the name on her badge. This became frustrating because her student ID said "Angela" and although I did not remember her name, that just didn't sound right. When I said I "very slyly" tried to see the name on her ID, I must have been "sly" only in my head. About the 3rd time we passed, this girl looked me in the eye and said, "Hi, I'm Brooke". BUSTED! This was not the last dork move I would make during our relationship!

So I said hello and sat next to Brooke and some other friends she had already met (yup, she was a people person way back then). And then several times that week we sat together with friends. And then we hung out (with friends) more. Yeah, she was a lot of fun to be around. And THIS became a problem. You see, I came to CFNI to follow Jesus and I had "sworn off" girls. I didn't think relationships were bad, but I had a very serious relationship in college that did not end as I had hoped that it would, and it was hard on me. When I came to Bible college, I told Jesus I was ready to focus on Him and what He wanted to do in my life. I was not there to be sidetracked by a relationship. This was part pure desire to follow Jesus and part a defense mechanism I believe. Regardless, Brooke and I started hanging out more...with friends and just the two of us. This led to my second BIG DORK move.

This cute southern girl caught my eye, caught my attention and was starting to tug at my heart. But I knew I was there to follow Jesus and not be sidetracked with relationships. So...how to explain this to my new friend? This is what I came up with: get a picture of my old girlfriend, show it to my new friend, tell her about the tragic ending of my previous relationship and then let her know "you and I are just friends because I'm following Jesus." Yup, I was THAT smooth.

At this point, everybody, including me, is wondering how I ended up celebrating 29 years of marriage to this beautiful woman. I am not sure...it had to be the grace of God and, I don't know, did I totally bewilder Brooke, so she had no idea what to think? Man am I ever glad she didn't give up on me after that stupid move.

Despite my ignorance, my heart before the Lord was pure. I was talking to Him about this girl. "God, I really like her. I don't just like her, but I'm having feelings towards her and that is a problem because I am here to focus on You and not on relationships." There were actually a few things in my life I had given up at the time because I wanted to take full advantage of my time in Bible college to hear from the Lord about what He had for my life and to draw closer to Him. Thankfully God was patient with me. He made it clear to me that being attracted to this girl was not at odds with following Him wholeheartedly.

Well, once God and I were on the same page about that, I became a bit worried I had blown it with Brooke. I had put us in the friend zone, but I did NOT like seeing her with other guy friends. I don't remember what all I did trying to fix my super blunder, but I remember going on a hayride in October that year and I reached over to hold her hand. My little heart leapt for joy, and I guess it was kinda a big deal for her too because she later told me she called her Momma that night and told her, "He held my hand!"

My feelings continued to grow toward Brooke and somehow, I came up with a better way to communicate my feelings for her and for the Lord at the same time. One night we ended up at Kidville in Duncanville (a playground with a HUGE wooden playground that Brooke and I enjoyed going to with our friends...but it was just the two of us that night). I explained again (this time WITHOUT the picture of my ex-girlfriend) that I came to Bible college to pursue Jesus. Although my intention was not to involve myself in a relationship, I found that I had feelings for her. Instead of being a dork again, I explained that I had prayed about it and did not think my feelings towards her would distract me from following Jesus, but I did not want a casual relationship. I was headed into ministry, I had feelings for her, and if she was OK with both of those things and would like to see where that went, I would like that. I told her I loved her. Thankfully, she returned my "I love you" and that was our first kiss!

So we became a couple. We still hung out with friends a lot, we hunted for (and found) a church together and ended up leading the youth group at Trinity New Life Fellowship together. As we became closer and I could see us together in the future, doing ministry, I began to dream about a life together with Brooke. During this time, a fellow student made a very public proposal to his girlfriend in one of our classes. As Brooke and I were talking about it later, she said, "You'd never do something like that!" It wasn't a "please do" or "please don't", it was really an observation of my not being a public/people person. I knew then and there when it came time to propose to this girl, it was going to have to be big and public. She liked what she saw that day and I wanted to make her happy.

Before I could propose to Brooke, I knew I had to have her parents’ permission. As it "just so happened", Brooke wanted to go home to visit her family for Spring Break, so she invited our mutual friend Sharon and me to go with her. Of course I agreed; not only would it be fun, but it would be the chance I needed to have a conversation with her dad. Brooke's mom and the girls had gone to bed, so it was a perfect time to talk to her dad, but as I was nervously thinking about the conversation, my stomach became a bit unsettled. My "intestinal distress" led to some "pressure relief" which I INSTANTLY regretted. It was silent but DEADLY. I knew it was gonna be a room-filler, but to my future father-in-law's credit, his only comment to me was "Do you feel better, son?" Somehow, I was able to overcome this, ask his permission and receive his blessing to ask Brooke to be my wife.

As I tried to come up with an appropriate way to propose to the love of my life, I hit upon the idea of proposing to her in front of our church family. Pastor David was agreeable to the idea, so I planned it for a Sunday morning. I had an announcement to make about an upcoming youth event, so I got up on stage and then asked Brooke to come help me make the announcement. She was not thrilled with that idea, but she did not suspect a thing. She joined me on stage, I stumbled through my announcement, then I nudged her a bit to the side, dropped down to one knee and proposed. She said "Yes!"

And that is what led up to Saturday, June 12, 1993, when Angela Brooke Bartholomew became Angela Brooke Hurt. We are living happily ever after.

Who Is Your Friend - Nicholas Ghidina?

 From my Storyworth Collection

This is my friend, Nicholas Ghidina. I met Nicholas in 2018 when I was doing an ACAPP ride along at the South station. Often times a rider shows up at briefing and the sergeant announces, "We have a rider tonight. Who wants to take them?" This is generally followed by an awkward silence and by the sergeant telling the officer with lowest seniority, "OK, Officer Newbie, you have a rider today." Fortunately, that day in 2018 was different...when the sergeant asked who wanted a rider, Nicholas volunteered to take me (we had not met before that time).

I don't remember if the shifts were 8 or 10 hours then, but we spent the time patrolling, talking and getting to know a little bit about one another. I discovered Nicholas was not only a Christian, but he also had a passion for ministering to police officers. We spent the last part of the ride along talking about coming together to do some sort of cop Bible study. At the end of the shift, we said "good-bye and let's keep in touch."

Nicholas and I touched base a few times over the next year or so, but in the summer of 2020, Nicholas called and said, "Let's have lunch". As we talked, he laid out is heart for cop ministry and floated the idea of Cop Church hosted at Vine Fellowship. We would start out meeting once a month, have fellowship, worship and time in the Word. We would bring in speakers with a law enforcement background to whom officers could relate. Cop Church kicked off that August. Over the next 9 months, Cop Church met 8 times (we did not meet in December), building a small core not only of officers but also church ladies who PUT OUT THE SPREAD to feed officers before church each month. Nicholas brought in a variety of retired and active-duty law enforcement speakers from within APD's ranks to out-of-state officers. Nicholas shared his heart with officers a couple times (in a round-table discussion format officers loved) and I got to share with them a couple times as well.

2021 brought unexpected changes with my job and the Lord asked me to pull back from ministry for now so that He could work some things in my life. I am not sure why my time with Nicholas and Cop Church was so short, but I do know I am extremely thankful to have had this opportunity to partner with Nicholas and see Cop Church get started. God is faithful and has provided a new home for Cop Church. I look forward to visiting them sometime down the road to see what kind of exciting things God is doing there.

I am thankful for this friendship and the ministry opportunities God allowed us to participate in together. I do not know what God has for me ministry-wise down the road, but if I get to team up with Nicholas again, that will make me very happy. Until then, I look forward to our lunches together encouraging each other and talking about what the Lord is doing in our lives. 

Fresh Start 2022 - Miracles Begin (Part 3)

 From my Storyworth collection

When God started talking to me about the changes taking place in my life, He clearly said, “You don’t have the plan. You don’t have the money. Any path you choose is going to require faith and is going to require miracles.” I decided, if that is the case, I want to recognize and record the miracles. The following is taken from my 4/18/22 journaling as I started recording the first miracles. (This is taken directly from my journaling).

“Lord, You told me on the 29th that You would bless whichever of those three paths I chose. You said any path would require faith and would require miracles. I took You at Your word and said OK. It is interesting that the “it will require miracles” did not scare me. I guess that in itself confirms another word that You gave me telling me that the storms Brooke and I have faced in the past have built our faith to equip us for this. The thing with Brooke’s job was one of the most awful to go through, but You showed Yourself so faithful and strong. It was impossible for us to make it in the natural, but You provided. You not only provided, but You (true to Your Word) used it for our good.

Which leads me to the miracles. I want to record the miracles that You do for us in this journey. One of the first ones would be BROOKE’S NEW JOB. The enemy tried to destroy her, but You sustained us for a year, gave her a much-needed break, provided a good job she enjoys at a place where is she appreciated, and now a raise to the highest paying job she has ever had. Just when we needed it the most. Thank you, Jesus!

Secondly, the connections You are bringing as I pursue real estate. That first hour long PHONE CALL WITH JENNIFER LINDER was so encouraging and a confirmation that You will take care of us. To have a dear friend who has become a success in this field, who is willing to invest in me, who has high-level skills and will help me as I grow in this…nothing short of a miracle.

I originally included PASTOR DON CONNECTING ME WITH THE CARRILLOS as a part of this “connections” or “mentors” miracle, but it is different in that it is helping me get set up and connecting me with what seems to be an excellent broker for starting out. And that first phone call with them, investing an hour and a half with me, listening, encouraging, sharing practical wisdom and praying with me. This connection and phone call was/is a miracle and a confirmation that You are going to take care of us.

At the last Cop Church, I was so excited and then You began talking to me about a “decrease in my ministry” for a time (which I have come to understand now means a ministry sabbatical). I could not picture my life without cop ministry, but You began showing me You were closing that door. While I was still struggling with this, Nicholas text and said he found A NEW HOME FOR COP CHURCH if it is needed. You worked so gently with me to help me see the door was closing for me, but You were protecting this ministry that is so near and dear to my heart. I am still processing this loss, but I see Your hand in it. Thank You for taking care of Cop Church and thank You for the gentle way you showed me the door is closing.

As I began to understand that You were calling me to a ministry sabbatical, the last and hardest area to lay down was ACAPP, in particular my briefing visits. {We had not finalized our church plans at this point}. I accepted it (but had not really processed it) when I started talking to Robert Muszynski last night to tell him I would soon stop my briefing visits. It wasn’t until we started talking that I saw another miracle, how YOU RAISED UP ROBERT MUSZYNSKI AT WEST STATION to continue ministry to officers there. In all the years I’ve been doing briefing visits, nobody has shared my passion for it until Robert started this last year. He has the passion and the anointing. Laying this down is the hardest and I’m still in the numb phase, but I see Your hand and I’m thankful.”

What were your favorite cartoons growing up?

 From my Storyworth collection

Wow…cartoons were SO different when I was a kid. My absolute favorite was Looney Tunes on Saturday morning. Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Cuck, Tweety, Sylvester, Wile E Coyote, Road Runner, Tasmanian Devil, Yosemitie Sam, Porky Pig, Forhorn Leghorn, Pepe Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Speedy Gonzales and some other minor characters. They must have run for 2 hours straight on a Saturday morning.

I also liked Scooby Doo. Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma. And the other cartoon I remember liking, when I was older, was the Smurfs.

What are your favorite songs?

 From my Storyworth collection

For my “favorite” songs, I am going to pick 3 songs that meant something special to me at certain times in my life…songs that God gave me to get through a hard time. I will share the song, the circumstance and the lyrics.

Song #1 - Destined To Win by DeGarmo and Key

The first time I heard this song was on a Sunday morning while I was in college at Olivet (my sophomore year, my first year away from home). It was not sung by DeGarmo and Key, but by my pastor’s wife as a special that morning. I do not remember why I was struggling that weekend, but I was, and the song really encouraged me. I am not sure who I borrowed the DeGarmo and Key tape from (yes, cassette tape!), but I blasted it in my apartment all Sunday afternoon. It encouraged me and brought me out of whatever I was dealing with.

Here are the lyrics:

This songs to all the people

With light in their hearts

And love in their eyes

You don’t have to worry

When the mountains seem of infinite size

There is one who goes before you to calm the sea

There’s a king who leads his people to victory

We are Destined to Win

We’re surrounded by his Love

And guarded by his power

Destined to Win

Following the Lord until the battles over

We are Destined to Win

We all get discouraged

When the pressures of life start weighing us down

We’ve learned that in his footsteps

Crosses in life must preceed the crowns

There is one who goes before you

To calm the sea

There’s a king who leads his people to victory

We are Destined to Win

We’re surrounded by his Love

And guarded by his power

Destined to Win

Following the Lord until the battles over

We are Destined to Win

We’ve got to remember

It’s our destiny to win the end

With Christ on our side

We are Destined to Win

We are Destined to Win

We’re surrounded by his Love

And guarded by his power

Destined to Win

Following the Lord until the battles over

Destined to Win

Song #2 - Way Maker by Sinach

I first heard this song in 2018. Brooke and I had hit the lowest point in our marriage, and she had moved out (her stuff was still at home, but she was not staying at home). It seemed possible that our marriage would not survive. I had not given up faith in God being able to restore us, but my prayers were not prayers of great faith, rather of trust. During this time, I heard Way Maker, and it became my anthem. I played this song over and over and over again…each time building my faith that God IS a way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness. God is SO good…He not only restored our marriage but used the recovery to make our marriage stronger that it ever was before. As only He can do, He turned what the devil meant to destroy us into something GOOD.

Here are the lyrics:

You are here

Moving in our midst

I worship you

I worship you

You are here

Working in this place

I worship you

I worship you

You are here

Moving in our midst

I worship you

I worship you

You are here

Working in this place

I worship you

I worship you

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

That is who you are

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

My God

That is who you are

You are here

You are here

Touching every heart

I worship you

I worship you

You are here

You are here

Healing every heart

I worship you

I worship you

I worship you

I worship you

You are here

Turning lives around

Turning lives around

I worship you

I worship you

I worship you

I worship you

You are here

You are here

Mending every heart

Mending every heart

I worship you

I worship you

I worship you

I worship you

We call you “way maker”

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

My God, my God

That is who you are

We call you “way maker”

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

My God, my God

That is who you are

Lift up your hands

You wipe away all tears

You mend a broken heart

You’re the answer to it all

You wipe away all tears

You mend all the broken heart

You’re the answer to it all (to it all)

Jesus

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

My God, my God

That is who you are

Way maker

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

My God, my God

That is who you are

Way maker

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

My God, my God

That is who you are

Way maker

Way maker

Way maker

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

That is who you are

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

That is who you are

That is who you are

Lift up your hands

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

That is who you are

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

That is who you are

…to you

He’s always on top

He’s a way maker

…

It doesn’t matter how long it takes

Lift up your hands and worship

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

That is who you are

One more time of your life

Way maker

Miracle worker

Promise keeper

Light in the darkness

My God, my God

That is who you are

Song #3 - Coming Through by Jeremiah Brinkley (First15 Worship)

I first heard this song (it was just released) by my friend Jeremiah Brinkley. It is pretty obvious that this song was a desperate cry from Jeremiah’s heart to God, and a confession of faith when he did not yet see the answer. It was POWERFUL when I first heard it, and it stuck with me. But when God started talking to me about changing jobs and then backing down from ministry for a time, He brought this song to my mind again. This song is one that is currently building my faith that God is FAITHFUL, He is GOOD and He is always COMING THROUGH.

Here are the lyrics:

You always come through You always will do

Everything you say you’re going to

You always provide You always on time

Right when I need you You’re always by my side

[Pre-Chorus]

So in the waiting

I’ll be patient

[Chorus]

You are the one who holds the stars

So You’ll be the one who holds my heart

You are the one who made the pieces

So you’ll put it back together again

You are the one who calms the seas

So You’ll be the one who will calms this storm Inside me

I’ll never have to wonder what you’ll do

Cause You’re always coming through

[Verse 2]

You’re always trustworthy You quiet my worries

You traded your life and give me mercy

Your love is so perfect I Never could earn it

But you looked at my heart and said I’m worth it

And Though I don’t deserve it

[Chorus]

You are the one who holds the stars

So You’ll be the one who holds my heart

You are the one who made the pieces

So you’ll put it back together again

You are the one who calms the seas

So You’ll be the one who will calms this storm Inside me

I’ll never have to wonder what you’ll do

Cause You’re always coming through

[Bridge]

I know you’ll guide me

And you’ll supply for me

I know you will

Cause that’s who you are

I know you’ll shield me

I know you’ll heal me

I know you will

Cause that’s who you are

I know you’ll save me

You’ll Make a way for me

I know you will

Cause that’s who you are

I know you’ll fight for me

Do what’s right for me

I know you will

Cause that’s who you are

[Pre-Chorus]

So in the waiting

I’ll be patient

[Chorus]

You are the one who calms the seas

So You’ll be the one who will calms this storm Inside me

I’ll never have to wonder what you’ll do

Cause You’re always coming through

Fresh Start 2022 - First Journaling Entry 3/29/22 (Part 2)

 From my Storyworth collection

This is from my journaling on 3/29/22.

Verse I read that morning:
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. ~Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

From the YouVersion devotion Brooke and I were reading that day (Faith Over Fear):
“We cannot allow our fears of failing to keep us from reaching our potential.

Too often do we allow fear to paralyze us. We sit and wait until we are no longer afraid, when we could have acted long before. God has a plan in place for you, and it may require you to step out of the realm of your comfort zone. You may be uncomfortable. You may be scared. You may not feel that you are ready, but you will when it’s time.

Fear is nothing. Fear is a mirage. It’s a temporary emotion based on a temporary situation. And a tool that the enemy uses to keep us stagnant. Fear is a natural response to the unknown, but you can’t allow fear to control your life.

Often fear is what comes before change, and change is necessary for growth. Your want for success and happiness must be stronger than your fear of failure.

Your faith must triumph over fear. God puts us in situations of discomfort for a reason.

2 Timothy 1:7 says that the Lord has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love, and of a sound mind. Know that in everything you do in His name, you will be prosperous. Failure is a stepping stone on the journey to success. It is not to be feared, but to be learned from. Fear is only a setback if you allow it to be so.

God is greater than your fear of failure.”

My written-out prayer to God that morning:
“So Lord, what do I do? I have got to start moving forward. I am sitting here, overwhelmed, doing nothing. You have not given a spirit of fear, but that is the word I am living right now. As soon as I wake up, I can’t go back to sleep. I run to You and after being in your presence, I can start my day. And then I get overwhelmed and just want to go to bed and sleep to escape. Until I wake up and start all over again. This is NOT what You have for me. The future does not have to be known in order not to be controlled by fear. help me, Lord.

Do I pursue three things (ministry job, administrative assistant, realty) or do I just pursue one because I do not need to be spread any thinner?”

When I journal, I write down the thoughts that come to me when I am praying, believing that is how God speaks to us. This is what I believe the Lord was saying to me that morning:

“Yes Rob, get focused. You are spinning your wheels with no true plan forward. Any path you choose is going to require faith and is going to require miracles. you will not see the solution before you start walking. You will not have the answers ahead of time. you must walk by faith. it is now impossible for you to stay where you are and stay comfortable. Every hard battle, every “impossible” situation I have brought you through has been preparation for this. You have the faith you need to make it through this. If you didn’t, I would not have allowed it to happen now. You understand that, right? I allowed this to happen now because you already have what you need to make it through. You do not have the plan. You do not have the money. You do not have anything on your own. I know that. But you have Me, I am ALL you need. And I have prepared your faith for this. Of course, you do not feel prepared. If you did, you wouldn’t need faith and your faith would not grow. You are here to grow and to learn, Rob. You are here to learn to know Me better and to know my heart. This will equip you to minister to people in a new way, too. I don’t have you on the earth to take up time until I bring you home.

I have a Kingdom purpose for you, and I have a (personal) purpose for you. Right now, this season, this is for developing you. Your ministry to others is going to look much different right now. It is going to decrease because I am working on you. It does not mean ministry is over, but if you want to grow, the focus is going to be on Me and you right now. Your Kingdom purpose is not over, but now is not the time to try and imagine what that will be. You are going to have to trust Me in this, too. I am not finished with your Kingdom purpose…I am working on you (personal purpose) for what is next. What is next for you and then what is next for your ministry. DO NOT try to figure out what ministry is going to look like after this. You cannot foresee it, plan it or even work towards it. It’s there, but it’s My plan and My future for you. For now, we are working on you. Accept it and understand it as an act of love. Understand that this also will require a new level of faith and trust on your part.”

Fresh Start 2022 - Intro to A Series (Part 1)

From my Storyworth collection

It seems God is doing a new thing in my life in 2022 - “Reinventing Me at 53”. Now THAT is not a headline I would have chosen, but God does what is best for us even if we are not smart enough to know it is what is best for us. And sometimes, things just happen in life, but God works it out for our good (Romans 8:28) because He loves us and because He is a good Father.

I made a joke about “Reinventing Me at 53” because I thought it was funny and it is probably how the world would define what is going to be going on in my life this year. But I am calling it “Fresh Start 2022” because I believe God is giving me a fresh start in life. It didn’t feel that way when it started and I know there may be some stormy rides ahead, but God is SO GOOD and has shown me this is a fresh start, it is for my good, it is intentional, and it is to bless me in every way. Because of this, I want to document this journey here (in Storyworth). Most all of this (I think) will come from my journaling times with the Lord.

CONTEXT
This journey began when Pastor Don and I were talking about the most important priorities at the church and how, if we do not get the priorities taken care of, in order, a downward slide could end not well. The priorities he listed were:

1. Sunday mornings

2. Kids ministry

3. Youth ministry

4. Adult ministry

5. Communication (social media/marketing)

6. Administration

Both our children's director and youth director were volunteers, and both got raises/new positions at work that took away the time they had to devote to these two ministries. Without these two ministries thriving and growing, it is nearly impossible to attract and keep new families. We need a person to fill those roles, but it would not be financially responsible to bring on a 4th full-time pastor given our current church size and budget. What we need is a Family Pastor to oversee both kids and youth ministry. 

As we discussed this, Pastor Don asked me to pray about transitioning out of my current staff position and take this new Family Pastor position. My initial thought was, "Yes, I could do that. This is my church, and this is what's needed." I began to pray about it, talk with my wife and get the counsel of friends. An answer came quickly: Brooke cried and told me, “That’s not you.” My best friend Craig ‘yelled’ at me and said, “That’s not you.” This helped me hear the Holy Spirit saying, “That’s not you”.

Although this question was answered, I could not get away from the fact that we did indeed need this new position. Pastor Don had described the situation as a puzzle that needed to be solved. As I prayed about it, I began getting uncomfortable which is usually a sign that God is trying to get me to do something. I don't like change, so God has to make me uncomfortable to get me moving. I told Brooke, "I think I'm supposed to get another job."

When I told Pastor Don I could not take the position, he was not surprised (he also knew that was not me). As I discussed with Pastor Don my decision to get another job (one that would be a higher paying job and would benefit our family financially), he immediately offered to help me find a new job and do everything possible so that there would not be a financial cost on top of the emotional cost of this decision. He said he could find resume help for me, interview coaching or whatever I needed. He said Brooke and I could stay in the house with no set exit date (through the end of the year, no questions, after the first of the year, we can see how things look).

There was a short time between me knowing I could not take the new position and talking to Pastor Don about it. I thought my options would be to find another church job or look for a career change to become an administrative assistant. Along the way, Brooke asked, “Have you ever considered real estate?” My original response was, “No, I have not” (sort of dismissing it), but the more I thought about it, the more appealing it became as an option. When I prayed about it, I felt I had 3 options, all of which the Lord said He would bless: 1) another church job 2) administrative assistant, 3) real estate.

As I prayed about these options (see my first journaling post), I decided to pursue real estate. As soon as Pastor Don heard that, he immediately set up a meeting for me with Mark & Lisa Carrillo. Lisa is a real estate broker and Pastor Mark is now a business coach. They spent an hour and a half pouring into me, listening, praying, encouraging and sharing wisdom to help me begin this new venture. See my Miracles post for more details.

MY PLAN
As Brooke and I talked about what the future would look like, my thoughts were to stay at the church as a lay pastor which would allow me to continue leading Cop Church, ministering with ACAPP and my West Station briefings. Pastor Don was very supportive, and we talked about what that would look like.

During this time, Brooke and I had a LOT of questions, trying to work it out, and we were not always on the same page. But like no other time in our lives, we were at peace, and we were in unity that God would show us the way, we would both know it, and we would walk it out together. 

GOD'S PLAN
As you can read in my first journaling post, while I thought this was all about a job change, God had bigger plans. God spoke to me that, for now, my ministry to others would be decreasing so He could work some things in my life. I did not know what that meant when I first heard it, but over the next week to 10 days it became apparent that God was asking me to step away from ministry so that He could work His purposes in me. It was that black-and-white what He wanted, yet I still do not exactly what this means/what He intends to do. What I do know is He asked me one day if I would give up Cop Church so that He could do what He wanted to do in my life, so I said "yes". The next day, He asked if I would be willing to lay down ACAPP and my ministry with the police so that He could do what He wanted to do in my life, so I said "yes". And a day or two after that, He asked me if I would lay down my ministry at Vine Fellowship (even as a lay pastor) so that He could do what He wanted to do in my life. I could not picture my life without these three ministries, but God made it clear He was asking me to do this and that He was doing it so He could do something GOOD in my life. I said "yes".

Brooke was praying this whole time and, in her own time with the Lord, Brooke heard the same thing. As we discussed it, we realized this meant that we could not stay at Vine Fellowship because it would be impossible to be there without being "Pastor Rob and Miss Brooke". My heart is the heart of a pastor for our church, and God said His focus will be on just me and Him for a season. It was with sad hearts but 100% peace that we made this announcement to the church on April 24th at the end of service.

WHERE TO FROM HERE?
Pastor Don and I agreed on a plan that would both bless Brooke and I financially and make my transition out easier for the church; I will continue working at the church for a time (approximately 2 more months). During this time, I will also be in real estate school. My focus will be finishing classes as quickly as possible (180 hours) and setting up others to assume my responsibilities with as little disruption for the church as possible. At that time, Brooke and I will step away from the church and into what God has next. All we know now is we will find a church where we are not Pastor Rob and Miss Brooke, where we can be refreshed and allow God to do what He wants in our lives. He has made it clear that He is not done with us in ministry, but that is not for us to try and figure out now. He has blessings for us when it is time. And so, we step out in faith!

What is one of your favorite drinks?

 From my Storyworth collection

I suppose the question is supposed to be for those who like alcoholic drinks, but that’s not me. I have tried a couple drinks since being an adult, but to me, the alcohol ruins the taste of whatever it is in.

Funny story: the first time I ever tasted alcohol was on our honeymoon. Our trip to Puerto Vallarta was an all-expense paid trip (meals were paid for as well as drinks). Since we were in an area that had a lot of good fruit drinks, and since I was not drinker, I ordered virgin fruit drinks. They had something with mango in it that was pretty good, and I also liked pina coladas and banana daiquiris. I got one banana daiquiri and I kept telling Brooke, “Wow, the bananas they used must have been REALLY green.” After saying that 3-4 times (and not really enjoying my drink), Brooke took a sip and informed me it was not a virgin drink. The “green banana” taste I did not like was the alcohol!

My beverage of choice as an adult has usually been some variation of Diet Coke :)

What's the best job you've ever had?

 From my Storyworth collection

I have not had a lot of jobs in my life. I had one main job in high school (as I previously shared, I worked in the kitchen at Autumn Winds restaurant), I was a custodian in college and worked for the county painting (the underside of) bridges during the summer. I worked one summer in a boys’ home as a counselor after graduating from college. When I got married, I worked at Payless shoes for a year and then made it onto staff at Vine Fellowship (which was Trinity New Life Fellowship at the time). During my time at the church, I was youth pastor/secretary, then just youth pastor and lastly administrative pastor.

If I were to say which was the best job, I would probably have to say it was my years as youth pastor with Brooke by my side. We started with 3 students who were NOT interested in a relationship with the Lord. Over the 8 years we were the youth pastors, our group grew to 30 youth (on a good Wednesday night), we had six Wednesday night youth leaders and 4 married couples hosting Sunday night small groups for youth. We developed a program to encourage students to read through the Bible each year (FBI…Fellowship of Bible Investigators) and saw youth engage in ministry both inside and outside the church. It took a while to mature enough to understand getting and implementing a vision for the ministry, but once I did, I began discovering how God had created me and how He wanted to use me.

For the past 10 years or so I have also had a side job doing computer work…I call it More Tech Savvy. I never had any kind of computer or technology training; I just liked messing with computers and discovered other people do not…and these people could use my help. In early 2020, I made some connections and got hired for less than a year with a company called Cybermedix. The founder of Cybermedix is a Christian man with a desire to make the world a better place (literally), and he used his training and skills to do so. The part of the business I was involved with was a computer system for monitoring ventilators (that is a simple, superficial explanation). Cybermedix had computer systems that needed to be configured for installation and use, but the person who previously configured them for the company suddenly left the company and left them with nobody who knew how to configure their own systems. I was hired to figure out how to configure them. It took more than 40 hours just to learn what I did not know (you don’t know what you don’t know when you are thrown into something like this). Only then could I begin to figure out where to go for help. I learned how to configure the systems and learned how to work remotely to get people in another state to help me prep a facility for installation (computer networking, asking them to do something I needed for which I did not even have the vocabulary or training to communicate properly in the beginning). Once that was done, I worked with a tech in California to remotely configure the systems on site. Once the systems were installed, I became tech support. Trouble shooting then had to be done remotely and, if a system was down so I could not access it, I had to work with medical staff at each facility who had ZERO tech experience. I would explain over the phone what each piece of equipment looked like and then ask them to describe what they saw (was the power light on, was it connected to this other piece of equipment, etc.). Once I talked them through getting the system back on, I could log in and complete the repair. Every single step was discovering what I did not know and then figuring out how to get the resources (people, assistance and knowledge) I needed to get the job done. I was able to be an asset to Cybermedix, and I found that kind of work to be exhilarating.

So, I guess the two best jobs I had were being youth pastor and being a system configuration specialist.