Dear Students,
The last three and a half
years (two and a half as your youth pastor) have been filled with great talks, memorable
nights, and an innumerable amount of gut busting laughs- but there are still a
few things I want to say. Things I know
in my heart you need to hear especially now that God is transitioning us on and
I pray that you will take these words to heart.
You are ready.
Jesus had three years
with His disciples. Three years to pour
His life into them and teach them all of His ways. Three years to laugh with them, cry with
them, and do life with them. But after
those three years He was crucified and put in a grave. I can guarantee you that for those three days
the disciples talked about how they weren’t ready for Him to go. How they didn’t understand why He had to die. I am sure they said some of the things you
have been thinking, and honestly I am so thankful for that. It means that Pastor Rich and I have done
what we are called to do. I am certainly
NOT comparing us to Jesus because we fail daily but I am wanting you to see how
these twelve men handled the transitioning of someone who loved and led them. I want you to see that you are ready for this even if you think you
are not. You are. It is ok to have questions, to be angry, or
to be sad. It is ok. But do not forget that you are ready, God
would not be calling us to go if He didn’t believe in you, which leads me to
the second thing…
God has not forgotten about you.
Before Jesus was betrayed
He spoke to the disciples about what was to come. He talked to them about how they would grieve
but how He would send them someone to comfort them. John 16: 5-7 reads “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you
is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away,
because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send
him to you.” The Advocate. (I love that word used to describe the Holy
Spirit but that is another post for another day.) Jesus told the disciples that He had to go so
another could have a voice in their lives.
We believe with all of our hearts that our time with you was
needed and appointed by God, but now He is calling for some new voices. Give them a chance. Whoever they may be. Yes, Pastor Rich and I are moving and yes, we
know in our hearts that God is the one leading us to do so, but this does not
mean that He has forgotten about you. He
is bigger than that. God is calling us to go, but He is also calling others to
come. They will be the ones you need for
this new season, just as we needed Jesus to go so the Holy Spirit could come
and be with us as a constant voice of encouragement and conviction. Our move may seem only for us, but it is for
you too. And lastly…
You will do great things
We all need many people
to help guide us through this crazy thing called life. Many. People.
These voices are there to encourage us because if we are honest with
ourselves, life isn’t all that encouraging sometimes. Despite what you have gone through, or maybe
what you are still going through, you were designed with greatness inside of
you. The twelve disciples did AMAZING
works after Jesus was crucified, came back to life and ascended to heaven. Amazing works. They did them because they allowed what they
were taught to work as the foundation for their lives, and not merely something
to leave behind as they moved on. Remember what we’ve taught you from the Word
of God. Remember the many things God has
brought you through. Do not forget
them. Use them as your foundation to do
great things.
We love you. We believe in you. We are so thankful God chose us for this
season to be a voice in your lives. And
if you find yourself in a few days, a few weeks or even a few years needing us
just remember that a voice can be heard from across a room, or across the
world. So pick up a phone! It is
with a heavy heart we say goodbye. But
know that this goodbye is only for now, it is not for always.
You are ready, God has
not forgotten about you, and you will do great things!!!
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1 Corinthians 3:7
It’s not
the one who plants or the one who waters
who is at the center of this process
but God, who makes things grow.
