It is a difficult thing at times to walk as a follower of Christ. I often liken it to white water rafting. This perspective is one I have gained by taking a raft down the Ocoee River in southeast TN on several occasions. When you are rafting, the more difficult and dangerous parts of the journey are also the most exciting. The Ocoee, used as the kayak venue for the Atlanta Summer Olympics, has a couple of Class-4 rapids…some of the most difficult to navigate. The only way to do this effectively is with a good guide who is constantly shouting directions from the back of the raft. You must listen closely and obey immediately to make it through many of the rapids on the river. You have to trust that your guide knows the river and how to make it around the rocks and eddies without tossing the riders into the river. You have to work hard to row and consequently stay in the boat, but the paddling is easier when you trust, listen & obey. Rowing is the main thing that keeps you in the raft, as you push against the force of the river. There is no time in those moments to relax and if you don’t do your part you will likely wind up in the river. The one time I rafted a “calmer” river with no guide required, the journey was completely boring and required much more paddling. Calmer waters are not my thing.

Life, as a follower of Christ, is much the same way. As you go through life, there are times that you don’t know what to expect or what the “river” holds. It is in those moments you have to have a trust in your “guide”, listen carefully and obey. The most terrifying and uncertain moments of life are often the most exciting.

My wife, Annie, & I founded REI Ministries in 2005 in response to a clear call from God to minister to churches/church leaders that desired to be more effective in reaching their communities through the areas of worship, media, children and parenting. We functioned full time in that ministry for 18 months, traveling across the U.S. and to Kiev, Ukraine. In the spring of 2007, we heard God’s voice again and began to connect with a pastor and friend in South Florida. By August, we were on staff at Life Pointe Church in Homestead, FL, and loving every minute of it. While REI Ministries did not cease, we felt the need to focus on the local ministry to which God had called us and not be as proactive in scheduling outside ministry events. I traveled to VA, OK, TX, and even AK for some prescheduled conferences, but did not feel that the timing was right for any further scheduling.

In August of this year, Annie & I both felt that we were to begin moving in a more full time direction with REI, but knew it could not happen if we stayed in Homestead. Life Pointe is an awesome, ever-growing place and needed more focus than we could provide if we began to do more with our own ministry. After much prayer and Godly counsel, we believe we have heard His voice once again and are to move back into a full time position with REI Ministries. The fruitful season we have enjoyed at Life Pointe will be completed at the end of this month and we will relocate to TN after spending Christmas with family in VA.

These rapids are exciting, treacherous and full of promise. We are sad about having to say goodbye to some great friends. We are leaving paradise where churrasco is plentiful and the black beans & rice run like milk and honey. We will be bi-vocational for a season (the ministry is not financially supporting right now) and aren’t sure from where that will come. We are moving to Shelbyville, TN, a small town southeast of Nashville. We will connect with some good friends there who pastor Gateway Ministries. We are excited about the possibilities God has in store for us. We will live exactly halfway between my parents and Annie’s dad. God is still our guide and we are faithfully listening and obeying. He knows the river better than anyone and our trust is solely in Him.