Living on less and get rid of the mess

      Back in January I made a decision to start simplifying my life some by de-cluttering the house. So little by little, taking one room at the time, I have been moving through my home, getting rid of stuff. Just stuff. Amazing how one can collect stuff without even realizing it. I should take a page from my sister Della's book who has this mastered! For real!  I didn't know what a blessing in disguise that decision was going to be. About two weeks ago, I learned that I am going to be moving from Deerfield UMC here in Boone, back to Stokes County, my home. I look forward to serving Chestnut Grove UMC in King.  So last Sunday, I gave the news to my congregation here in Boone. I so dreaded telling them, it pained me to give them any kind of news that I felt was going to hurt their hearts. At the same time, the congregation joins me in rejoicing that my time of commuting 107 miles each way back and forth home for the last five years is coming to an end. My husband is thrilled with the news.  Today in the lectionary scripture where Jesus talked about his disciples as friends and how he had not held anything back from them, it made me think of the beautiful love, the sacred love a pastor and congregation share if you get to do ministry together long enough. You really do become friends in Christ. God has so richly blessed the time Jeff and I have been in ministry in Boone with great friends, we only have wonderful things to say about the love the people here at Deerfield.  The people here have really set me up for success. If something big was going on several people would call to let me know, or just give me a call out of the blue and give me a tip that someone was really hurting so I could follow up with them. If you keep doing the same for the new pastor as he comes in, you will also set him up for success!
      As I went to meet the new SPRC team at Chestnut Grove this past week, one team member walked up to me with out stretched arms and simply said, "Welcome home!" The days now are filled with excitement of new ministries to come, and the grief of leaving old friends behind. On the same day, happy and sad. It is crazy making.   I am so thankful for God's call on my life to be a pastor, and for the time here at Deerfield. Our church has grown together to be a closer congregation, and we have faced much adversity together, both personally and as a church family. Through all of these challenges God has been our strength, together.  Now we are in the awkward time of saying good bye to one church while being excited about new possibilities with a new flock.  My mother in law Ruby Lemons and father in law Cleo Lemons are also so excited that I am coming home. She asked if there was any way she could tell the people how thankful and how happy she is to hear the news. So I am telling you now, she is one happy mother in law.  She told me this last week she hopes I don't have to move again as long as she lives. That is a pretty sweet request. Giving her the news I am coming to King was nothing like going to tell her face to face I had been appointed to Boone. It took weeks to convince her God's hand was in this. And now she also can see, indeed God's hand has been on us the whole time.
    I know there are hundreds of pastors who are in the same boat with us right now. Trying to figure out moving dates and how to make the preparations at the current and future appointments at the same time.  I have been doing a mental inventory of the fruit God has allowed me to witness as I have been serving him full time for 21 years.  I want to thank the Lord for delivering my from having to preach from a manuscript during my first appointment. The picture you see above are the files of sermons I have tossed that I have moved from place to place and never looked at them. When I did glance at them at the thought of giving them a toss, truthfully, they were pretty horrible. My first churches sure were generous.  So out with the pile of old sermons that have been collecting dust for years.  I want to urge my peers to take a little time to make your load a little lighter. I am getting ready to start the same process at the church office. Books that I have not opened in years are going to a brand new seminary student in a couple of weeks. They are going too.  This living on less seems like it is going to be a good thing. So far after all the trips to Good will, I have not missed a thing. I want to encourage you to take the time to not move everything, but sort and toss, then save what is really important to you.  I can say I have not arrived at a simple life, but I get one step closer with each trip to Good will.
God bless you if you are also in transition. Remember, God is for us, goes ahead of us, and is already preparing our way. God's grace is already working.  Receive that marvelous gift.  For all the readers, I want to thank you so much. Over 7300 views to my blog since I started. Thanks so much for reading. With God's encouragement, let us continue to lift up our hearts.
Best compliment of the day, "If I had a preacher like you, I would go to church three times a week."
Best compliment told to me on another random preacher which I thought was hilarious: "Our preacher can do "evathang" but preach."  God's peace to you. Evelyn