God has shone light on our path. We are finally able to see a few steps farther in the direction that he is leading us.

After our upcoming position with Creation Truth Foundation disappeared, we were at a complete loss as to where God was leading, or even what God was doing. But that confusion has finally passed.

Several weeks ago, while we were still trying to raise support for CTF, I decided to send out a few resumes… just in case our support needs didn’t reach the level we needed by the time we needed that support in place. It was a moment of incredible foresight, which I’m not sure I can really take credit for.

I sent resumes to about fifteen different churches, from California to Ohio to Florida, and several places in between.

One after another, God closed the door to most of those opportunities. We had some good discussion with a couple, but they decided to move in a different direction. Most simply thanked us and told us they were hiring someone already. And a couple more were interested, but they were not exactly what we though we needed at this point in our lives.

One of those resumes went to Mountain View, Missouri. And right in the middle of our job-loss crisis with CTF, we received a phone call asking for more information.

That phone conversation led to a lunch with the Senior Minister and the Worship Minister from the church. Shortly after that, we drove to Mountain View and met with their search team. This interview was scheduled for the day after we made a public announcement that CTF was no longer in our plans. God’s timing was incredible through all of this.

After a great evening with their search team, we headed back home to pray about this opportunity. Was this where God planned to send us? How would we know?

In the meantime, we were in the process of contacting all of our supporters, letting them know that we were no longer headed to CTF. One couple, who have worked with Show-Me Christian Youth Home for many years, suggested that we meet with them and consider becoming house parents at their main unit in LaMonte, MO.

This was an appealing idea, and so we added that to our prayers. It soon became apparent, however, that God was not leading us in that direction. Heather didn’t feel comfortable taking a position like that at this point in our lives. She felt it wold be “too overwhelming.” I agreed.

And then Mountain View called back. They were excited about our interview, so much, in fact, that they decided to forego any further interviews and offer me the Associate/Youth position. And they invited us back to meet with the full church board and the teens on a Wednesday night.

After that evening, we continued to pray for several more days.

I called them back on Saturday, May 2nd, and officially accepted their offer. We are planning to move to Mountain View and begin our ministry there in early June.

An added benefit is the fact that my (step) sister and her family live in Mountain View. It will be good to have family so close.

Boreas Pass, CO

Looking back at the past several months, we can now see more clearly how God was leading us. It was a very dark time for our family, but we were certain, and still are, that God was in control, and still is, and was working out his plan for our family. We feel that now, we are starting to see the mountaintop in the distance. This image conveys how I feel. I took this photo on top of Boreas Pass, near Breckenridge, Colorado, last summer. We are on the pathway, still in the shadows, and yet the destination is in view.

As Paul said in Philippians 3:12-14:

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

It’s a bittersweet time for us right now. We are very excited to start down this new path and see where God leads. But it will be difficult for us to leave First Christian Church in Kimberling City. This church has defined clearly for us the meaning of family. They have walked with us through some difficult times in our lives, like the death of my brother, Mike. And they have rejoiced with us at other times, such as the birth of our son Jadon. We have been so blessed to be a part of this body.

And that may be part of the reason we had to travel through such a dark period. We have been very happy and content at FCC, so much so that we may not have heard or listened to God’s call to Mountain View. He needed to use something big, like my passion for Creation and our desire to serve in a role at Creation Truth Foundation, to get our attention. He has big plans for FCC, and he has called another man to lead FCC to the next level. And he has big plans for the Randleman family and Mountain View Christian Church. We anticipate eagerly the next phase of our family’s life and journey, and our personal lives as well, in Mountain View.

It has been a dark journey over the past few months. But finally, we are breaking free of the darkness, and we can see a little more of the path before us. We’ve learned that we like it better when the path is lit. But our faith is increased more when the path is darker. May God shed just enough light into my spiritual journey that my faith continues to grow because I must truth him to lead me safely. And may my family grow because they see me grow.