One last day

Today is my last day working in the office at Foothills Community Church. This Sunday will be our sendoff, followed by a week off, and then jumping into ministry as a pastor in the area (more to come on that).

For the past year plus I’ve been a pastoral intern here (officially, pastoral intern for education and communications, but unofficially a jack-of-all-trades) – a very good and rewarding experience. What started as "Kari’s parents’ church" has become ours in many ways, and the transition out is somewhat bittersweet. We will of course keep so many relational ties, especially with the church staff. We have grown quite close — seeing each other at our best … and worst.

We all new this day would come, my transition. Hard to believe it’s here.

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(Kari here, can’t sleep so snuck downstairs.) I am so proud of my husband.  He has perservered through so much the past 4.5 years.  He has filled Barium Resin vials, dug around in live sewage lines, overseen multi-million dollar projects, chugged away at an MDiv degree, and acted as utility-man-intern.  All that on top of being the best husband and daddy a girl and little boy could ever want.  Today, on his last day of work at Foothills, on the dawning of a new day, stepping into the role of pastor, I can only say that God has prepared His man. I am proud to call him my husband, and I am so excited to see how God will use him for His glory.  OK, off to bed…

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(I’m back) I want to especially thank Pastor Dale for his listening ear, wise counsel, and great sense of humor. He was a dream mentor, and endeavored to provide the internship experience he never had. So many leaders see others through the lens of their own experience, and secretly desire to not allow others to go further or become more than they were allowed to become. Dale is the exact opposity, for he knows this is not a competition, and pouring into my life is living for something bigger than himself — especially as the return-on-investment is not directly back into his own church. Dale is an unselfish man of God. He and the Staff have valued me above what I do. That is a vastly different way of dealing with people than one will find in other places of vocation.

Thankful.

(This post is sorta disjointed I know. Surprise, they’re taking me to lunch… gotta go.)