My turn...

I, like Lauren, have always thought the idea of blog was goofy and the people that did it just had nothing better to do with their lives. So now that I am blogging I realize its appeal or maybe I have nothing better to do with my life. Nevertheless, here goes with my first blog post. My sweet Lauren and I have been in Charlotte for 1 month now and it has been difficult. The difficulty has nothing to do with the city of Charlotte itself (other than the fact that people from Charlotte like to think that Charlotte is a "southern city" but it is not). I digress. I could not be more appreciative of Lauren and the fact that she gave up a great job in Birmingham to support me as I finish seminary at RTS. She has given me a great example of selflessness and sacrifice that I will not soon forget. Not a day goes by that I do not wish I could uproot Children's Hospital of Birmingham and plant it here in Charlotte. Having said all of that, we know that we are in the right place. How easily God's people forget His provision so quickly after He gives it. The Children of Israel had not been out of Egypt but a few days before they began grumbling about not having adequate water. They had already forgotten God's great provision. Lauren and I put our house on the market and in 33 days we had sold it. Lauren quickly got a job at a great hospital in Charlotte and I received a scholarship from RTS covering a substantial portion of my seminary costs. I do not say all of these things to brag or boast but instead to show God's provision. We had many roadblocks in our pathway to Charlotte and God quickly knocked them out of the way. All of this to say, we trust that we are in the midst of God's will for our lives in Charlotte. Too often I think that being in God's will means a place where all of my dreams come true and that the vision I had for my life begins to take shape. This is not Scriptural at all. Romans 8:28 says "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good..." This does not say that all things are good but that all things work together for good. Things are difficult right now in Charlotte. Lauren is not crazy about her job. Seminary is difficult and demands many long nights. We do not have any friends (but are working on it). We do ourselves a disservice when we long for the way things used to be. We must rest in the fact that God does work all things for the good of those who love Him. Lauren and I will grow to enjoy Charlotte, we will make friends and who knows we might even miss this town when we leave. Hope is not lost. However, we do miss Birmingham, our friends, our family and the comfort of people really "knowing" you. Our trust remains in the Lord despite everything else. We look forward to this time in Charlotte for the Lord to teach us, refine us and grow us. My prayer is that we will give Charlotte a fair chance and not wish away our time here. I pray that Lauren would make friends at work and come to enjoy here tasks there. I pray that the Lord would humble me as I learn more of the riches of His Person, mercy and grace. We would appreciate your prayers as we continue to make the transition to Charlotte. I hope this is the first of many blog posts for me because I am someone who can get really into something for a couple of weeks and then not do anything with it for a couple of months.