I Knew It Would Happen

My husband, Jeff, is multi-gifted and has had many career changes that reflect his giftings. Jeff can sing and is a great trumpeter and thought about playing professionally while we were in college, but the Lord called him to music ministry in order to use those talents for Him. (It was on a drive to check out SW Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth that we first heard about homeschooling) For several years Jeff was in full-time music ministry and did a terrific job. However, when our oldest child arrived at "Youth Group" age we felt led to leave the full-time ministry because our family's convictions didn't line up with what was happening at the "Youth House."

As I stated at the beginning, Jeff is multi-gifted. While in high school he worked as a dj at a local radio station and his mentor there was now head of the production team at American Family Radio. Jeff had done some free-lance work for them, but he now began an 11 year journey with AFR that ended this past April. He was then the head of the production department himself, a talk show host and head of the new AFR Talk network of 130 stations. His plate was full! But for those first 8 years he was also a bi-vocational music minister at a small Baptist church. We hadn't really left church music ministry at all. Just down-sized and eliminated the youth group. Oh, and he hasn't left the American Family Association, just moved across the street to head up The Homeschool Channel!

Three years ago we felt the time had come to leave the part-time position. It was very scary for us, because we had never, ever, looked for a church. We had always been called to serve and, for almost 20 years had never had a Sunday that Jeff was not serving. We knew what we were looking for in a church, ( we wanted to find a family - integrated church) but could we find one? For about a year we visited back and forth between two churches while Jeff filled in from time to time in a couple of the larger churches in our area. We never felt that either of the churches we were attending was the right church, but we were waiting on the Lord to show us what to do. Then an interim position at another large church in the area was offered to Jeff and he accepted it and served from Dec. to July. I have to admit that I am spoiled. Jeff is really great at leading worship and it was wonderful to actually feel like we had WORSHIPPED each Sunday. Music, for me, is such an integral part of worship. Anyway, since last August we have been attending a smaller church in another town and it is quite different. There are some aspects that we appreciate, but it is very different from what we are accustomed to....and the music is very different. And since Caedmon has gotten older, he has also gotten impossible to manage in the worship service. There is no way to slip out quietly and it is too crowded for me to nurse on the back row. So, I go upstairs and keep Caedmon during two services (sometimes able to hear the sermon on the speaker in the room, but Caedmon has found it and likes to unplug it, so I have to unplug it and put it out of his reach). Needless to say, I am not getting much out of going to church and there are other issues I have about it as well, but will leave that alone.

A couple of weeks ago Jeff had been asked by one of his former trumpet students to play at his church this Sunday (yes, we are old enough that Jeff has a former trumpet student who is now around 30 and leads worship at one of the large churches in our area!) We all went and while the beginning of the service was a little more lively than I prefer, what I knew would happen came to pass. The choir special was a selection that we had done at a few churches where Jeff had served. It was straight from Scripture, Philippians 2: 8-11. What a blessing to my worship starved soul! It was beautifully done by choir and orchestra and I sang quietly from the back pew as tears rolled down my cheeks. That's what I knew would happen....that I would cry the moment some familiar hymn or special was sung. My tears continued for quite awhile, but I noticed that I wasn't the only one in my family with tears flowing. I was able to stay in the service the entire time as I was able to discretely nurse Caedmon when he became restless and he fell asleep for the remainder of the service.

We are still trying to figure out what the Lord is leading us to, but yesterday made things a little easier to bear for me. These last three years have been difficult in many ways. Who knew that finding a church could be so difficult? We will continue to wait on the Lord and ask Him to show us where we are to be. Until then, I will be grateful for the time of worship that we experienced yesterday. An oasis in the middle of my desert.

Philippians 2: 8-11 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.