The Transition - Part 2
Once I let people know that we were no longer at Oneighty. I began to get calls from all over the country. I took calls from large churches, small churches, churches in rural communities as well as metropolitan areas.
After talking with eleven churches it became obvious to my wife and I that there were really only two potential places God could be calling us. We visited them both and liked them both a lot.
At the first church, I had a few good friends that I had become close with over the years. At the second church we did not know anyone.
At the first church, we really loved the area. At the second church we liked the area a lot, but it was totally different than what we were used to.
At the first church, we felt like we could live there. At the second church we felt God’s call.
When this process first started, I remember talking on the phone and having a friend tell me about a growing church that was looking for a youth pastor. It was in a state I had never dreamed of living in and a town I had never even heard of. Visalia, California.
Veronica and were invited to go out to the church in Visalia and see what God was doing. We spent a few days in town, visiting the church, meeting the staff, talking with the people. They were all very nice, extremely sharp, and the longer we were there, the more we both began to realize that God was doing something pretty cool thru this church. All of those things were great, but I had not heard His voice.
We had some free time on one of the afternoons, so Veronica and I decided to drive around the city of Visalia. As we did we just so happened to drive by one High School, then another, then another, there were several High Schools in the City and with each one that we passed, my heart began to stir.
On another afternoon we had some more time to kill, so we stopped by one of the Malls. As we walked around I noticed all the teenagers, there were hundreds of them. Students were everywhere. While in the Mall I came across a pretty rough looking teenager that dropped the “F” Bomb rather loudly as I passed by. When I looked back at him it was all I could do to not sit down with the boy, ask him his name and began to talk to him about what was going on in his life.
It was in that moment - it came. I had a burden. A burden to make a difference. A burden to shine His light. A burden to share the good news of Jesus Christ to as many teenagers in Visalia, California that I possibly could.
After about a week or so of praying and seeking God, Veronica and I both knew that God was calling our family to move to California. So we accepted the position as Youth Pastor of Visalia First Assembly of God.
After 20 years of student ministry, I have to say that I have never been more excited about sharing Jesus with teenagers. After all these years as a Youth Pastor, God has asked me to begin again. I think He might be up to something.
