Tuesday, September 26, 2006

the times...they are a changin'


As I have posted about before, Betsy and I accepted a position with a church plant here in Knoxville. Consequently, this Sunday will be our last at our current church.

And, as if that alone wasn't eventful enough, Betsy and I will also be moving out of our apartment...this weekend.

These are a few of my LEAST favorite things...

...packing

...moving

...unpacking

This move, however, is very much a blessing. Actually, it is just one more in a long series of events, that some would have every right to call "coincidence", but I believe are evidence of God's hand being behind this next chapter of our lives. It is a long story, and I'm not sure I can divulge all the details, so just take my word for it: this move is absolutely a blessing.

But, it will also be quite sad to say good-bye to our apartment. Betsy and I have enjoyed living there the last 2 years. Why? Well, one reason is that picture in the upper right-hand corner. I took it from my deck about a week ago when the fleeting sun put an end to my evening enjoyment of Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain.

I took this picture the next night. I really am going to miss that deck.

Actually, it is kind of a metaphor (albeit a very small one) for the church I am also moving away from. God has used both to reveal Himself to me in new and beautiful ways. And because of that I have grown immeasurably in both places. I have prayed, worshipped, and wrestled with God. I have spent invaluable time with friends. I've worked through many frustrations in both places and I've shared many laughs. I have been humbled. I have been overjoyed. I have learned new things and I have rediscovered old things. Both have shaped me. Both have moved me. Both are as comfortable and as familiar to me as an old friend.

And both are going to be incredibly hard to walk away from.

I thank God for my deck. Yeah, I may have another one in my future. But it will never replace my love for this one.

3 comments:

Tim said...

I too my friend will miss that deck. . .I have spent many. . not as many as you . . .but still enough to have a great memory of that deck. . it will be sad to see it go but we will have a much smaller one. .but be it still a deck at my place that is always open and ready for a good game of yatzee or domino's and a good pipe. Thanks to many good times at the deck and the many good talks we've had. . and by the way. . Id love to talk to you about this church situation in North Carolina sometime if you dont mind.

Anonymous said...

ah sentimentality.

The Anonymous Human said...

Decks are a funny breed. Sometimes you see someone else's deck and think it's way big and get jealous. Sometimes you see someone's small deck and think, "I could never live with a deck like that." I think though, you get the most enjoyment out of a deck that you built. A deck that you get to enjoy when once there was no deck at all. Whether the deck is big or small, you can be a part of it because it is a part of you.