Moving on....

Some have asked us where we have been lately. They haven't seen us at church.

So I thought I'd take this chance to let everyone who cares know what is going on.

On March 30th Tim and I made the decision to take a break from our church. We had been concerned for the past year that the direction and focus was changing. On that day we were confronted with the knowledge that Tim and I were headed in a different direction than our church. However, knowing at that point, things were still in a lot turmoil and we hoped that in a few weeks, the leadership would refocus and chart a course more in line with the direction we hoped it would go.

Unfortunately it didn't happen.

We first showed up at Revolution 4 1/2 years ago. It was nothing like I expected. In fact, when I walked in I thought, "Our Sunday School class is bigger than this." But I knew. We'd be back.

A few months later, we joined in earnest and jumped in with both feet. We were so excited by the vision of reaching the unsaved for Christ and the discipleship we saw going on around us. Lives were being changed and we knew we would be as well. We knew our days as pew-sitters were over and we wanted to serve in any way we could.

In fact, I begin to joke that Revolution's calendar was my calendar! We were there whenever the doors opened. We couldn't get enough of the amazing people and the challenge we felt week after week to become more like Christ.

One of the first sermons I heard at Revolution impacts me to this day. David had everyone pin a scarlet letter A to their chest and proceeded to list the ways we had "cheated" on God. We were adulterers and He was calling us back into a relationship with Him. Every person there (and there weren't many at that time!) knelt down at the cross and received forgiveness for the many ways we had strayed. I not only remember that sermon, I remember my confession. Each time I am tempted in that area, I remember kneeling at the cross and pouring out my heart to Christ.

Revolution changed us in dramatic ways. We were challenged in ways we had never been challenged before. We were stretched until it hurt. We were forced to rethink our assumptions and see everything through the eyes of Christ. We did things I would have told you were impossible before coming. (Tim lead a Life Group?!? You probably didn't know him before, but that would have NEVER happened!)

Revolution has perfected the art of making people feel welcome. We never had so many friends as we did there within a very short time. Those friendships will not end now that our time at Revolution has come to an end, but we definitely miss seeing everyone each week.

The final challenge David issued that I felt he was directing to me personally was to feed myself. I have taken that to heart in a big way. I started doing the QT reading with the rest of the church, but I quickly fell behind because I wouldn't just read it, I would meditate on it, learn from it, pray over it, research it, get commentary on it, sit with it, and digest it. I still do that every day, and as a consequence I'm only up to Leviticus 12! But my eyes have been opened to the majesty and power of the Word of God as never before. I have David Trotter to thank for turning me in that direction. I had spent the previous months wanting to be fed exclusively from up front and frustated when it wasn't enough. But as he had done so many times in the past, David was instrumental in kicking me out of the nest.

The downside is that Tim and I now find ourselves moving off in a different direction from our beloved church. We continue to hope for the best for Revolution, we pray for the people and the leaders. We only want continued success. We have absolutely no animosity toward anyone associated with Revolution. God is in control. It is He that will ultimately orchestrate the path Revolution finds itself on. He will orchestrate our path as well.

So, thank you Revolution Church for your friendship, your challenges, your opportunities to be stretched. Thank you for helping to mold us and shape us. Thank you for pushing us toward Christ. You will be missed.