Hey friends,
This week my family received some incredible life-changing news. Since my wife already sent this to her WOO sisters, I’ll borrow her words for a moment:
I have applied to graduate school and been formally accepted to the Masters of Divinity program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. By faith, I will attend classes there on campus this Fall 2016 quarter. Yes, this would include leaving our church, our home, our families, my job here which I love, to pursue a 3-year degree in theology. This is a dream that I have had for over 15 years and God has slowly yet also quickly affirmed and confirmed these steps for our family. We are stepping out in obedience and trusting the One calling us into deep waters.
I would love to invite you all in this journey alongside us by praying for God to continue confirming all the steps that need to occur before such a move takes place for our family! The next big step is to hear back from several merit-based scholarships that i have applied for! It may take a full month before I hear back from the scholarship committee.
Also prayers for what to do with our house here in Arkansas, moving schools for Nash, and finding affordable campus housing in Pasadena. May the Lord provide every step of the way that He has laid out for us.
Now my words:
I’ve known for years that seminary was in my wife’s future. I’ve known it far longer than she’s known it, or at least far longer than she’s accepted it. It’s no small decision. But like a doctor who must spend a season in specialized and focused study, so my wife is being called to a season of sharpening the God-given gifts with which she’s been entrusted by our Loving Father. We trust the He has ordered all of our steps and are approaching this new season by faith stepping out of the boat onto the waters knowing that Christ will not let us sink.
I’ve shared with a few guys what I’ve been feeling about this move. Honestly, I’ve wanted this for her for a while, but had it mapped out very differently. Online courses from a much cheaper school was how my mind painted this picture. But God. God, He had a different plan. One that included me letting go of the comforts of life of which I make an altar. He knocked that shit down, and said “Rob, will you give all that up to follow me? Do you trust in Me or in your retirement plan and home equity?”
There was once a time in our life when we first got married and were living out on the edges of our faith trusting God with all that stuff. We didn’t have a 20 year plan, just trusted God day by day. It’s been a while since I felt like I was trusting God that completely. We’re both super involved in the life of the church so I thought I was all good. You know? Like I do stuff for God. Yay me! I can do this and build my own kingdom of gathering wealth and stuff and other bullshit. So when Ines texted me in January saying that in the still of a silent prayer garden that God has given her the green light that we’d been asking Him to reveal to us, he knocked down my altar of self-sufficiency and said TRUST ME.
Recently I bought this worship album called “Azusa Now: The Coming Sound” and the first track has samples of a sermon where this guy passionately reads this verse from Matthew:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Matthew 13:44
It speaks to me. It makes my heart leap actually.
Jesus says “follow me” so my response is to give up all I am holding onto to follow Him, to buy the field! I’m willing to do that. Not so much eager, but definitely willing. This following Jesus thing is a wild ride sometimes.
That’s all I can piece together right now. Love you guys!
If anyone wants to grab a beer or coffee and hear more of my rambling about this, I’m down.
Stepping out of the boat by faith,
Rob