Transition time is here . . .

It was announced yesterday, April 12th, that I will be accepting a new pastoral appointment, beginning on July1st, at the First United Methodist Church in Crowley, Texas.  My last Sunday at FUMC-Grapevine will be on Sunday, June 14th, the date of my 10th anniversary.

My wife and I are truly excited about this new ministry opportunity,  However, this is a bittersweet moment as well.  We have made some very tender and precious memories of the Grapevine church and community.  Some of the best people we have ever known and served in ministry with.  It's hard to say goodbye, so we don't.  Rather, we always say, "until we meet again!"

Musically, I will be bringing to a close all my current gigs in the Grapevine area at the end of May. I hope to be singing again in the greater Crowley area (Crowley, Burleson, Joshua) as I work to establish relationships with area retirement and nursing homes.  My new church has a pre-school and after-school ministry, so I hope to be singing to children again on a more regular basis.

Now is the time to take a good long hard look at my instruments and sound equipment.  I have moved away somewhat from "keep it simple."  It's time to pair down to essentials with limited back up instruments and equipment.  That will not be easy at all.  I am a very proud "owner."  And, I am not  well off enough financially to be a collector of guitars either (despite my comments on this blog that stated otherwise).  The truth is, a guitar in a closet that isn't being played is not benefitting anyone.

I will still remain a volunteer with Hugworks, but on a more limited basis for at least the summer.  I'm still working on a project for them, and I promised that I will see that through, although it has taken longer than I thought, but part of that is due to how Hugworks is restructuring.

In the end, my mission in life is still "to make a joyful noise wherever I am, or cause one to be made." In a few months, we will be making a joyful noise in the Crowley, Texas area.

And that's a good thing!

God's grace still amazes me . . . ><>