So.
It has been a ridiculously long time since I posted anything. This is primarily due to the fact that since my last post much has happened (quickly searches Edit Posts tab to ascertain said date). To run down a list of some of the things that have happened: I started seminary, climbed a 14K mountain, and started two new jobs; the boys turned 4, we celebrated the holidays with family and friends, and the babies turned 1.
Those are just a few of the highlights. I've probably missed a few things, but those are some that stick out to me. As you can see, life has kind of been flipped on its head for me. Two jobs and seminary has left me with little creative energy to write, so the blog has suffered, though I've been feeling a little creative surge of late. My poor hiking blog was just getting rolling when everything went crazy. Oh well, such is life!
Now to step back a bit and lay out the details of some of the things that have happened.
My last post mentioned that I had been without work for nearly a year. Well, almost a year to the day from leaving my previous job, two new job opportunities came up. The first was working as a caregiver for a friend of ours who is confined to a wheelchair. I drive him to school (he's a teacher) and to therapy appointments and such. It leaves me with a significant amount of free time during the school day, which is terribly convenient because my second job is leading worship for Ventura Community Church, just a few miles away from the school. It also gives me some big chunks of time to work on seminary. God definitely has His own way of doing things!
It is great to finally have work, especially in ministry, but it hasn't all been easy. THe way things are, I'm working about 65 hours a week, most of that time away from my family. It has been a hard adjustment for all of us. I miss seeing the kids and being there to help Christie out when needed. Christie misses the help, and the kids miss me. Thankfully, our parents have been able to step up to help us out in many ways.
Adjusting to a new church has also been trying at times. This is the first time I have ever started at a church in a leadership position. I grew up at Bethany before getting into ministry there. At Camarillo, I gradually became more involved in worship ministry, and was never on staff. With Ventura, I led worship my first Sunday, and didn't have a Sunday where I wasn't leading until December.
It has also been tough for the family adjusting to a new church. We were really starting to connect and feel a part of Camarillo. We have still been able to be a part of some fun events there since, but Ventura is now our church home. It is also a significant drive (about 30 minutes) which makes it a little tougher to feel like a part of the community. We've had our ups and downs, but we are definitely beginning to connect more with people.
All in all, it has been a crazy ride. The journey is still not over, but God has already done some extraordinary things. Some day we hope to sit down and write out all the incredible ways that God has moved during this crazy journey. In the meantime, Christie is working on updating the Dublets blog. Check back for more updates (hopefully!).
