Transition is.....

tough. We deal with it all the time and today I was reminded again how difficult change can be for groups, churches and individuals. It can bring out the best in people. It can bring out the worst in people. Ultimately, it means we are different today than we were yesterday. Different tomorrow than today.

We said goodbye to Coy and Tiff officially today at church. We watched some videos of the students saying how much they love them and a video of random pictures from the past four years they have served Trinity Baptist Church faithfully as Ministers to Students. We had a cake and prayed for them. We wrote notes and sang our favorite closing song for one last time with this particular group.

And while this is a sad day, it is mostly a day of celebration. Celebrating what God has done, how God has moved, how God has led. It has been a day of memories, both funny and serious. It has been a day of laughs and hugs. Celebrating is good. It is fun. It is necessary. And, it is proper. Even God celebrated on the seventh day (well, rested...but things were done, which often involves celebration for us) by setting it apart and resting and marveling at His work.

And now, Coy and Tiffany move on to study full-time and pursue the call God has placed on their lives. Yet, we know that they have left a big chunk of their hearts with us--not just in their memories and actions, but in the ways they have impacted and changed us. And, we know that a big chunk of TBC's heart is with them--not just the t-shirts and pictures (and 10 lbs. we gained from eating two meals at church today!), but in the love and support and encouragement I hope we have given them on this part of the journey.

So, transition is tough. However, it is often necessary if we are to follow God and call we each have. These times of change will be different for all of us, but they will come. The question is: what will we leave behind and what will we take with us in those moments?

I pray that what the Jennings take is half as wonderful as what they left behind.

Lory