Tour de Seminole

The past few days have been a blur. We left Paradise last Thursday at 6:01 a.m. for the six hour drive to Seminole. Since then we have been meeting people, sharing meals, meeting with various groups within the church, looking for houses, discussing the future of FBC Seminole, enrolling the boys in school, and of course getting to worship and preach at FBC.
The church voted yesterday morning to call me as pastor with a 99% vote. It is my understanding there was only one person who voted against us. After a lunch at church and greeting church members I was exhausted more emotionally than physically. I pulled out my old bike and to take a little Tour de Seminole. I rode through residential areas, down long deserted roads, past cotton fields, and into the West Texas wind. It was hot here yesterday but no matter how hard I pedaled I could not sweat. Normally on a twelve mile ride I would be soaked but not out here. I prayed, meditated, and let it all sink in.
God has continued to speak to me from His word about this call on my life. I have been reading through the book of Matthew this week and God has been speaking to me clearly. I know I am called to be the pastor of FBC Seminole. I have often talked about what God did on my end to call me here but to hear what the Lord did in the hearts of the people here just confirms this even more. I will miss the people at Paradise but know the same God who has lovingly protected them and guided them all these years will continue to do the same. I have been so blessed to share my life with that church for the past four years. It has been a wonderful adventure.
Later on today we will be traveling back to Paradise for our last week there. It will be bitter sweet. I dread more tears but relish the thought of making more memories with people who have blessed my family over and over again. Yet, the time has come to start looking forward and as we did our Tour de Seminole over this past weekend we felt love, support, and heard many stories about how people had prayed for our family and for the Paradise church.
God moved in the Seminole church powerfully in both services. I took in the time I shared with them. I remember letting my fingers run across the beautiful hand made wooden pulpit. I looked up across the sea of faces while they were opening their bibles noticing the young and old people alike, more people than this church has seen in a long while by what I was told, and let the moment become imprinted on my mind. I enjoyed that time. I saw hungry people for the word of God in both services and saw people respond to the Lord during the invitation. It was a great day. There was joy, challenge, tears, and conviction from the Lord even though I did not have my microphone turned on during the morning service. The sound people were not too happy with me. We got it worked out for the evening service and I found my way back into their good graces.
God has appointed my family to come and serve here. I do not fully understand it but standing in the pulpit yesterday was right. I was not nervous and preached from the book of Haggai. One older gentleman commented that he would not have preached that message if he had been looking for a job. That is it. I was not looking for a job but rather following a calling from the Lord. Another man commented that I preached like I did not want the job. Again, I was not looking for a job but as I have sought to do through my Christian life I was and still am looking to follow God.
My little bike ride helped to mentally digest all that has happened in my life. I am leaving a people and a place I love dearly to an unfamiliar town and people I am just beginning to get to know. I am leaving Paradise to follow God to Seminole and this weekend the Tour de Seminole officially began. I trust that it will be a great ride.