Gotta Have Faith

Growing up, I was constantly surrounded by Christ following people. My Grandpa was a pastor of a Covenant Church and he was always finding ways to apply scripture into our everyday lives. My parents made it clear at a young age that going to church was something that we needed to do and stressed the importance of attending every week. As a kid, I loved going to church. I got to hang out with friends, hear some fascinating stories from the Bible, and oh all the potlucks. I was active in my youth group through high school, and growing up in the church was foundational to where I am today.

I have had many occurrences throughout my life where I have relied on my faith to get me through a certain situation. God has shown his face numerous times telling me to slow down and remind me that he is in control…

In 2013, our family of five was all packed up and ready to celebrate Thanksgiving once the school and work day was done. What was supposed to be a normal morning traveling into work ended up with us being in a head-on car crash not five miles from our home. It can only be described as a miracle that at 55 mph we all walked away with only a few bumps and bruises.

Two years later, I was able to be a part of the 2015 Timberwood Church team to Poland and what I experienced over there will be with me forever. Our tasks included running an English camp during the day and having an opportunity to share the gospel through teachings and worship in the evenings. I witnessed young Polish youth who were on fire for God and it made me look deep into where I was at. My relationship with Christ transformed on that trip and I realized that if these kids can prioritize him, it was something that I should be able to do as well. I have been working hard to do this ever since.

This next year, I will be taking one of the biggest leaps of faith of my life. After many prayers and discussions with my supportive wife, I made a decision to resign from my teaching position at the end of this past school year. This was a tough decision, but I knew that God has something else planned for me. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a teacher, but it was time for a change. While I don’t exactly know where I am going to land in regards to my next career field, I know that God is in control and I need to be patient.

Miranda and I have always enjoyed traveling and we have talked for years about doing a big trip in the future where we could see the lower 48 states. Our original timing for this was planned for something to do in retirement, but like many other things our plan was adjusted to what I believe was “God’s Plan.” With our kids getting older and the realization that we only have a few more years to have them all at home, we felt that this adventure would be more memorable if we could experience it as a family. With this being a transition time for me, we thought this would be a perfect time to do it.

So, we had a family meeting to see if the kids shared our same excitement. They were a little skeptical at first, but the more conversations we have had about it and talking with close friends and family we decided to make it a reality. So, this September we are going to embark on a 9-month RV adventure. I am so excited about this time that we can have together to be able to strengthen our family bond while enjoying and experiencing the beauty of God’s creation.