When God is Behind it...

We'd better be too!

Eighteen months ago, my parents got ready for church and went in to worship like they do every other Sunday, but they learned quickly that this day was going to be much different. Bob McCartney, the pastor at Sulphur Springs FBC had been called to be the pastor at FBC Wichita Falls. My heart broke for them when I got the call, knowing he would be missed by SO many people. He had touched so many lives in our church and had done such an amazing job. I immediately began praying. I prayed for the hearts of those who were members of my church, I prayed that they would trust God and HIS plan for their church, and I prayed for the man that God would call to serve as the new pastor. From day one of that church being without a pastor, the NEW pastor (Mark Bryant) was being POURED over in prayer. Daily, even HOURLY, members of the church were lifting him up in prayer, not even knowing yet who they were praying for. They prayed for the man (and his family) that would be called to serve at FBC, they prayed for his church family to be at peace, and they prayed for God's will to be done throughout the situation.

I find it fitting that on the day Mark Bryant was announced as the new pastor of SSFBC, my brother spent his last Sunday at Fielder Road in Arlington serving as the Middle School minister. He had announced that God had called him and Candice to serve as the youth minister for FBC Conroe a few weeks before.

I have to admit that I've had some pretty mixed up feelings along the way - I wrestled with God a little bit. I couldn't understand why he was taking someone SO important to me, someone that means SO much to me, and moving them a pretty good ways away. God has definitely been at work in my heart since the first day I knew this was even a possibility, but it wasn't until tonight that I really grasped the situation and realized where my heart was.

There isn't a sister in the WORLD prouder of her big brother than I am. Some of my tears over the past few months have most definitely been tears of joy in knowing that our Heavenly Father sees my brother as a servant for Him, that He sees my brother as being qualified to serve him in the capacity of a Youth Minister. WOW. It's a lot to grasp for me sometime. That scrawny little boy that I've had more fist fights than I can count has been called by GOD to serve a group of 7th to 12th graders at FBC Conroe, TX. God has been a part of the plan the ENTIRE time. HE was the one that orchestrated Alan and his wife Candice meeting at a camp when Alan had just finished his senior year of high school. He even threw His humor in the situation when Alan attended the same camp as FBC Conroe with the youth from FRBC and had Alan pray for the very position he would one day (soon) fill himself.

But what I noticed tonight was that just as the congregation of SS FBC prayed for Mark Bryant and his family for 18 months, an entire congregation has been lifting my brother up to the Lord. They NEED him at their church...I still remember the excitement my mom had when she called to tell us that the search committee had a prospective pastor and that he would be coming soon to meet some people in the church. You could hear the relief in her voice. You KNEW that God had truly answered their prayers.

As I read the comments on Alan's status this afternoon (he had mentioned he was "Conroe Bound"), the one that caught my eye was a member of FBC Conroe. I could almost HEAR the excitement in the comment she left as she mentioned how excited the students were for Alan to be there! Man, it's SO incredible to know that God's plans are SO much bigger than ours. As I selfishly longed for Alan to spend a lifetime at Fielder, right here with my husband and me, Alan was being lifted up in prayer by an entire congregation.

I know that God has big plans in store for FBC Conroe. I know there are students there that will be blessed by my brother. A piece of my heart is most definitely with the youth ministry and church at First Baptist Church in Conroe, Texas and I can't wait to hear the awesome things God is doing there!

Alan wanted to have a picnic on "the dance floor" This was Thursday (before the wedding on Saturday) and Alan, Candice and I had just gotten in town.