Career Change ...again but not really

Well as my child sleeps I will attempt to put the last several months down for our friends and family to see. This is Jeremy by the way, posting my first blog on our 'family' site.

Staci and I were on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ for about 6 months (specifically from January 2010-July 2010). While support at first, was strong and promising, by the time May rolled around all support had pretty much dried up. Now we are very confident that God was the one bringing it in so when it dried up we had to start praying and processing what God might be doing through it. My support coach suggested that we start looking elsewhere, not in a mean way, but he wanted us to be wise with our family. If in a few months support didn't pick up than we would need something else since a career with CCC is not possible without consistent support, but if God turned it all around than at least we would be confident that CCC was where we were supposed to be.

So we prayed...hard and long and we thought, we dreamed, we cried and we prayed some more and where God lead us was in a new direction. We were still support raising like God would provide but we opened up our hearts and minds to exploring a full-time position within a church. God laid full time ministry on my heart years ago, but we were never in a position to pursue it fully. Going on staff with CCC forced Staci and I to examine every area of our marriage and allow God to revamp and rejuvenate areas that we needed work. We re-learned how to Run To Jesus and this lesson was something we needed dearly with support raising.

So I started applying to youth pastor positions within churches all around the country. I got a lot of rejections but I also got several call backs...from churches only in the Illinois/Wisconsin area (with one exception in Ohio). Funny thing is I never put anywhere in my resume or bio that I grew up in Chicago and have family in Wisconsin (God has a plan and He is working it out to His glory). To make the long interviewning process easy to understand I will now give a brief time-line (Colors coincide with the church).

• May- Got call back from church in Madison (LVC)
• Late May- LVC had me in their top 20 then in top 10 then turned me down for lack of experience (LVC)
• Early June- Got call from Church near Rockford (FCC)
  
• Late June- Had several conversations with search committee and talked with pastor(FCC)
• Mid June- Got call back from church in Oshkosh Wisconsin (OCC)
  
• Mid July-Was top candidate out of 100+ scheduled candidacy weekend (FCC)
  
• Late July- Turned down weekend with FCC because we felt that it would be a bad fit
• June-July-August and Present- Have had over 10 hours of conversations with pastoral team and (non official) face to face with head pastor with OCC
• Currently- Waiting to hear back on where I stand will know hopefully by Sept. 18th
  

Overall God has been pretty clear in leading us off staff with CCC. We left staff on good terms in July and haven't looked back since. We love Student Venture (CCC) but now know that God didn't want us there forever. We have loved everyone's prayers and words of encouragement.

As for right now we are relying on God to provide more than ever. We don't know what the future holds, but we serve a God that is ridiculously HUGE and he continues to make his presence known through this process. I am currently working two jobs (stinks but hey sometimes you just gotta do it to make ends meet) I wish I could spend more time at home, but I know this is just a season and we will move on when it is time.

Again we have loved everyone's prayers and encouragement! As our Lifgroup 'multiplies' this term we are really excited to see what God does through it. Hope this gets everybody up to speed!