Heady Grace

Well it’s been a while since blogging, and if you’ve been paying attention the revolving templates on this page have been dizzying. After looking at the beige for the first few weeks I decided to go with grey, but it wasn’t very clear. I now have gone to this black background (if it doesn’t show up click on your refresh icon in your browser bar).

If you find this even more difficult to read please make a comment; remember you don’t have to use your real name to make a comment if you don’t wish to… the beauty and anonymity of blogs. You also will not recieve junk mail due to commenting.

Well what’s all this “Heady Grace?” Well after a year of praying and examining our life on the coast we decided to begin looking for a new parish home for the family. After a few very promising spots, and months of determined and intentional overtures to move, I decided to pull my name back in April (please excuse the I and We usage as really all my decisions are made with Sherry). All I can say on this is that we knew that it wasn’t the right move.

We were pleased to be able to remain here on the coast over the summer but by the fall we both knew it was time to bring the love we have received here and bring it to a different company of the saints. Sharing faith received is essential in growth and encouragement; and so we began the process of seriously asking the Lord to reveal a path for us. After many conversations with various bishops and archdeacons one path became clearer than others. There was both professionalism and faithfulness in the manner and discourse of this one diocese that we felt very much that this was the “front runner,” to put a pedestrian name to it.

After weeks of waiting and hoping for a call, as in the Lord’s, we received news that a parish profile was on its way. Searching the net and the Anglican Directory seemed to point to one particular spot. We focused on this parish for a few days before the official “profile” arrived. As it turned out, the parish we received was not at all the one we had thought. Originally discouraged, we soon warmed up to this place as it became clear that it met all that we were looking for in a parish and community. Looking back it was obvious why we had received this profile.

Once again patience was important as Christmas came and went and there seemed as if we would never receive a call. Prayer was essential to keep faith that the Lord wasn’t going to have us wait much longer. As in all things his time is right and fitted to our various needs. Finally things progressed and quite quickly; a week. It seems strange, but in an outburst of frustration, the phone rang and I said, " I hope that's God!"... well not quite but it was a warden. The following time was both fraught with anxiety and hope… it was indeed “heady.”

The “grace” is of course found in all things as our Lord reveals his gifts, all we need is to look, but particularly at this time in our lives we both, Sherry and I, found a comfort and security in the process and God’s grace was clearly seen.

So we now take a deep breath, listen and move on his grace in the knowledge that our path has always been with him who saves.

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