Tomorrow's New Adventure

I spent today spring cleaning, and it was so very, very good! I got half of my list done, and I felt ready for something new! I was excited to finish my list up on Sunday so that I could start fresh on Monday – sticking to a writing schedule, losing that baby weight, making sure my newly cleaned house stays that way, and just inviting in all of the newness that spring has to offer!

But then my husband got home from work and mentioned, nonchalantly, that tomorrow – Sunday – we’d be starting quite the new adventure.

And then I realized I’d be finishing my spring cleaning on Monday.

Because Sunday – tomorrow – is Easter.

Easter Sunday – tomorrow – is the first day that my husband and I will be attending a new church.

A new church at which my husband will be preaching at almost every Sunday from here on out.

I felt…strange. That’s literally the only word I can think of to describe it.

Strange.

Like a deer in the headlights. Like a cow at a new gate. Like a chicken with its head cut off. Like some kind of animal that was startled, confused, or dead.

In that moment, it was as if the last 10 months hit me all of a sudden and I felt small, unqualified, and unprepared for what’s ahead, which is…I have absolutely no idea.

How could I have let this happen, I thought. I should have been more prepared for this; I should be ready for this. I've known it was coming for almost a year and here it is – TOMORROW!!! – and I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing! What the heck, Brittany? WHAT THE HECK?

*sigh*

Before I go any further, I’ll quickly give the back-story to all of this.

Five days after we graduated from Bible school in Oklahoma (and only one day after officially being back home in Idaho), our pastor met with us over frozen yogurt and told us that our church was starting a new campus church in a small, rural town about 40 minutes away. He wanted to know if we were interested in helping out with the transition, and suggested that at some point we’d probably end up being the “campus leaders,” if you will.

And that point has come.

Every Sunday since last June, we've gone to the 10:30 church service at our main campus, and then headed out to the 1:30 service at the new campus with our pastor. It made for a long day, with us getting home around 4:30, but it quickly became normal. We instantly fell in love with the people, as the new church campus was a previously established church, so there were already around 30 or so people in attendance. We also loved driving 80 miles a week with our pastor, who talked with us about everything from raising a family in ministry to eating fast food in other countries.

We knew that this time would come, but it seemed so far away.

And now, it’s tomorrow.

We’re switching to a morning service at the new campus, so even though this new campus is a part of my home church, starting tomorrow, this location will now be my church.

And even though my senior pastor will still be my pastor and the pastor of this new location, I’ll now be hearing the message every Sunday from my husband. So in a way, my husband is now my pastor (not officially, of course, but in a sense). He’s already the head of my home and he speaks into my life spiritually on a daily basis. When I think of someone who’s Christ-like, next to Jesus, he’s it, and he’s already been preaching every Wednesday night at the new campus…but it’s still new, him being my husband and the person whom I’ll hear bring the Word every Sunday.

I’m beyond excited…and beyond intimidated. My husband and I have big dreams for this small town church, and I know the big-hearted people attending do too.

And quite honestly, my husband and I have no idea what we’re doing…but we know it’s exactly where we’re supposed to be.

The funny thing is, at our Bible school, the students were told constantly, “nobody’s just going to hand you a church when you graduate.” Even though this isn't “our” church in that sense, in a way, that’s exactly what happened.

I still remember the first week of our first year at Bible school, my husband told me he felt like the Lord wanted him to do the pastoral track his second year and I didn't believe him! It didn't make any sense to me why God would tell him that. We never wanted to start a church or lead a congregation; we simply wanted to be under someone else’s vision. Well…it makes sense now why he needed to do the pastoral track. And look at how God works: we’re still under our senior pastor’s vision. Something we never expected ended up being the desire of our hearts.

I also remember that during our second year, my husband and I felt like we needed to start learning Spanish, and wouldn't you know it: this new location is about 90% Hispanic. It’s so amazing to know that you heard God’s voice correctly even when it seemed so strange at the time. (We still don’t know Spanish, but praise the Lord that services are done in English!)

Anyway, I say all of this to say: tomorrow is a new day, and another new adventure for these Butlers. I think I felt small when I started writing this, and as I finish it, I feel more ready and excited than I ever have before. I have no idea what’s ahead, but that’s OK. That’s kind of how I like it. It’s fun not knowing all of the details and being able to look forward every day to what God’s going to do. It’s fun taking one step at a time and living purely on faith.

I've said it before and I’ll say it until I die: the faith life is the best life!

So tomorrow, as we celebrate the greatest day in history, get excited about the history that’s yet to be made in your own life. After all, all of history – all of time’s and all of our own – is a part of His story. His plans. His purposes. His cause. His Kingdom. We all have a part to play that He’s assigned us, so let’s each play that part…whatever it may be and however different it may look from what we thought it would be.

Freedom is found in surrendering our will for His…His good, perfect, and pleasing will.

Happy Easter. HE IS RISEN!!!

(And if you think to pray, would you please pray for the right day job for my husband and the best home for our budget as we’re looking to soon move out that direction and have yet to find either. We know God will bring both at just the right time! Thank you.)