The past several weeks have been a whirlwind of busy activity, stress, and feelings of being overwhelmed. But in the midst of it all, there is a simple peace that pervades.

By now, you have probably noticed that things have been pretty quiet around here for the past couple of months. That is because we have moved, and life has been extraordinarily busy.

At the end of October, I concluded my ministry with the Cabool Christian Church in Cabool, Missouri, and began a new ministry with the Parkview Christian Church in Sedalia, Missouri, which is about three hours north of Cabool.

We packed up the house, got it ready to sell (which is an incredible story of its own), and made the transition to Sedalia. All in all, this took about two months, from the announcement of my resignation, to the day of the move. So far, we have been in our new location for almost three weeks, and getting settled in has been quite hectic.

So far, we have dealt with a plumbing issue, a furnace issue, and are in the middle of a roof issue. And we have boxes to unpack, lots of boxes. And the garage is full of all the stuff that we don’t have a place for yet. And we have been regular customers at Lowe’s and Menards as we go pick up the supplies that we need for various projects getting the house in line with our needs. I think I’m on a first name basis with several of the employees there.

We have unpacked the office, got the kids enrolled in school, experienced an early snow, provided a ton of boxes for the recycling truck to pick up, managed to fit all of our furniture into a smaller house, and are working on really getting settled in. I’m not sure this house feels like a home yet, but I think we’re getting there.

As for the new church, we feel a little overwhelmed there as well. As with any new position, there are several different learning curves that I’m growing used to, sometimes a little unsure of just how to approach things. But that is to be expected. Where we really feel overwhelmed is by the love and encouragement we have received from a congregation of people who don’t know us yet. We had a couple of dozen help us unload the trucks, others who brought meals or provided for food in some way. Still others gave us gifts and gift cards or cash to help offset some of the things we have needed. It has been very overwhelming, in a good way. We are so thankful.

And right in the midst of it all, we have felt the presence of God and his guiding hand. In spite of the hectic nature of the move, the frustrations of unexpected home repairs and needs, and a house still decorated in cardboard boxes, God’s leading is extremely evident. There is a peace that I can feel over everything that I cannot explain, and even though I am stressed, the assurance that everything is under control is clear.

By nature, I am a pretty independent person. I like to be in control of things, and know how things are going to work out. I am a creature of routine and plans. The past several weeks have challenged me in this, and I have had to let go of my normal routine, my structured planning, and allow God to work things out in his own way and in his own timing. To that end, I think I have grown, at least a little.

As we get settled in, I fully expect that some of the routine will return. My writing schedule will stabilize and I will be able to be more consistent in creating though words, both through the medium of the digital word, and in my personal journaling and writing. I have missed it tremendously, and I look forward to reengaging with my readers.

Thanks for being patient with me.

Question: How have you experienced the indescribable peace of God in your life recently? You can leave a comment by clicking here.