Moving On-

Have you ever moved? I don’t mean just off the couch, I mean packed up into a moving truck & transplanted somewhere. I have moved many times, due to ministry. (Not sure I would have been that mobile otherwise!) It has opened up many horizons & relationships, though.

Moving on can seem good & bad. Good in the sense of exciting new prospects & fresh starts. New relationships to build as you meet new people. With a move, come new opportunities.

Of course, there is a down side too. You have to learn new streets & traffic patterns. All the familiar is gone. New numbers & information must be learned. It can almost overwhelm you.

Our Collegiate Ministry office, and the entire Baptist Convention, is moving to a new building this week. After decades of service out of a building in downtown Little Rock, the office is moving to a new complex. The ministry will carry on, simply in a different local.

My parents have lived in the same house my entire life! They have lived on Third Street for well over 55 years! They have been on vacation across the country, but always came home to that little house on Third Street. My dad was in the navy during WWII & sailed around the world, but he has lived most of his life on that little block. Yep, there’s something to be said for consistency. I have a place to go ‘home’ to. The town has changed drastically, but that little house hasn’t changed much for over half a century.

Sometimes we stay where we are because we are afraid of change. We experience xenophobia (fear of the unknown.) It traps us into a rut of existence that leaves little room for adventure & new beginnings. While God wants us rooted & solid, He also wants us willing to follow, even if that means plucking up ties & heading into the unknown.

Jesus came to this earth with a task of saving mankind. His life was in motion for God from the time He touched the ground until He arose from it!
In this passage, He had just finished sharing parables (earthly stories with heavenly messages) to the people. He no more than finished when He was led to take the message on to the next town (which was actually where He had grown up).“When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.” Matthew 13:53 NIV

I have no idea what God has in store for your life. Only He knows that. I simply encourage you to follow however, & wherever He leads. God may take you to the farthest reaches of the globe, like some of my friends. He may lead you to live the entire of your life in the same town, or even the block where you grew up. Your task is simply to obey His lead. Keep moving your life along with Him until you are moving on to eternity.

www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376 Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com