Seasons of Life

Several years ago Pastor Chuck Swindol wrote a book entitled, "The Seasons Of Life". It was an outstanding book shedding light on the natural process people go through as they grow older. It deals with changes in family, career, life focus, and so on. One of the things I have found in my journey is that there are passages that one travels through as they experience the various seasons of life. These passages bring meaning and purpose to the journey. Ruthie and I are traversing one of those passages now. We have been in Pastoral ministry for 35 years. For the most part they have been very rewarding and fulfilling years.

When Silver Creek Community Church and Seattle Family Church merged two years ago I took a step back and breathed a sigh of relief. I felt the pressures of ministry being lifted off of my shoulders now that I was functioning on a team of three that were carrying the load of leading our church. I have recently come to the conclusion that I actually never fully reengaged after the merge. Brent & Elizabeth have walked with me for the past year as my job performance was slipping and I found myself dealing with some pretty severe anxiety. I have appreciated the manner in which Brent and Elizabeth have worked with me in addressing many areas of concern. We came to a point at which it was apparent that I was falling short and so our board became involved as a job description was developed where I could continue to serve as a pastor but function only in the areas where we all felt I could be successful. This new job description focused on my natural abilities and strengths and would allow me to have more time to heal, spend time with Ruthie, deal with my anxiety and reflect on where I stood in regards to moving forward in ministry. Initially I accepted the role but after some time spent with trusted friends and counselors who understand pastoral fatigue and spending much time in prayer while going through the process of weighing my options I realized that I didn't feel I could continue to function in a pastoral role. Therefore I needed to resign. My resignation will become official as of January 1st. I am going to be preaching the 19th and 26th of December and then will be in attendance on January 2nd.

I have been overwhelmed with the kindness and grace of our staff, board and leadership team during the past weeks as I have struggled with my decision. Ruthie and I love SCFC. We will always consider this home. For the next few months we are going to take a little vacation time, get rested up and decide what to do next. There are a number of options out there, none of which I want to think about right now. I am going to focus on getting healthy mentally, physically and spiritually this next year.

I want to be sure you understand two things; First, Ruthie and I love you all and will be attending SCFC when we are in town. We have no desire to go anywhere else. Secondly, We believe in Brent and Elizabeth. If you were here this past Sunday when I resigned to the congregation you heard me say I think they are two of the most gifted people I have ever worked with. Ruthie and I believe in them as "our" pastors. SCFC is in good hands.

Ruthie and I would ask that you pray for us in this season of our life as we discover what God has next for us.

If you have read any of my writings you will know I sign off with one or two sayings... "As always, I am expecting God's best!" or "Great days ahead!" Well, I believe both of those apply in this situation. Our best days are ahead of us and God is walking with us. I'll sign off saying, "I am expecting God's best for SCFC!"

Our New Tree

Fall is my favorite season! I love leaves under my feet, I love to wear sweaters, boots, crazy socks, scarves, gloves…you name it! I also love windstorms and the excitement of having our FIRST SNOW!! I am a kid at heart and I love every minute of what this season brings. We are now past Thanksgiving and headed into another Christmas season. I have been blessed with many great memories and traditions and so this time of year is also a blessing to me. I know that the overcast days can be overwhelming at times but I just pop a few extra Vitamin D pills and I am off and running! :)

Our family has the tradition of cutting down our Christmas tree! We have always enjoyed the adventure of bundling up, heading to a family owned tree farm in Arlington, meeting up with various family members and picking out the perfect tree. We have come to the point of knowing exactly what a Volz tree should look like. It has to be one that isn’t too full, the branches need to be far enough apart that our decorations have room to hang but they have to be close enough together to be able to fit a multitude of decorations and not show too much of the trunk. We like Noble firs that aren’t too wide at the bottom and we definitely like the fact that the tree is fresh because we typically have Christmas décor up from Thanksgiving until the New Year. In short…we are picky and that has worked well for us for years.

This year was different…the desire to maintain tradition was overcome with the desire to have a bit more time to just relax with the boys, avoid the rainy 42 degree tree hunting weather, save some money over the long haul, put some new traditions in place and just simplify. So…we finally made the switch. I never thought this day would come but here we are with an artificial tree in our living room. We like it but I believe we will come to love it. We don’t have to water the tree, or in many cases kick ourselves for not watering it. We don’t have pine needles everywhere, and there are no little spiders making our ceiling their home. We really do like the way it looks and we will now always have a tree that looks like the perfect Volz tree.

There are times in life when circumstances force change. Sometimes we invite that change and sometimes we have no way of predicting when it will occur. Regardless, it can take time to adjust. I don’t know what might be going on in your life right now but whatever the case may be I hope you will trust God to walk through the good times and the dark times, and to bring you to a place of contentment and trusting in HIM to supply your peace and joy regardless of the changes that may be happening around you.

Don’t forget to join us, at FUSiON, this Sunday! We are going to be talking about JOY!! It will be a great day to put new traditions in place and enjoy being with friends and our church family!

I hope to see you there! God bless you!
Elizabeth