Why We're Moving to La Verne

My wife Kelley and I have lived in the same apartment for our 3+ years of wedded bliss. It ain't too classy, but, you know, nice. It also happens to be located in the city I grew up in (CHINO!). We like our apartment, rent is cheap, it's close to my parents (more free meals), relatively close to work, and pretty safe and quiet. Yet, tomorrow, we move to a town called La Verne ~8 miles away. (My wife is actually in the other room packing while I sit on the computer. Hmmm...) And if you're reading this, you're likely to be close enough to me to wonder, "Why the heck are they moving?"

As you may know, we serve the high schoolers and junior highers at our church. We love them, and attempt to teach them God's word, with our hope and desire being that they start to live passionately for Jesus as a teenager, and never lose that love and passion for the rest of their lives. One of my favorite verses on ministry comes from Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:8. He writes, "So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us."

How does this relate to our move? It's pretty simple. We aren't crazy far from church, but we're far enough away that it hinders and limits the relationships and fellowship we can have with our teens (and the other "old people" in our church too!) It also limits the effect they can and will have on us. In this verse, Paul writes that he loved those he ministered to so much, that he didn't just want to teach and share the gospel with them; he wanted to share "our own selves"! Paul teaches here that, to have an effective ministry, you can't merely be a teacher that students listen to once a week; you must be a friend and confidant that they connect with day in and day out.  Weekly, we teach Bible studies and "share the gospel of God" with our students. But God has guided us in a way where we believe living 1 mile away will lead to us sharing "our own selves" with them in a way that living 8 miles away would not. We believe that for God to shape us, mold us, teach us, and use us, this was a wise step in the right direction.

So Chino, I'll miss you. I'll miss the cow smell, and especially the proximity of Flo's (and her biscuits and gravy). But, church family (and specifically teenager), give us the blessing of not just sharing studies and lessons, but sharing life together.