Roller Coaster Ride

What a ride it has been. Two metaphors come to mind: emotional roller coaster and fruit basket upset.

I’d like to share how the Lord has changed my desires and now is in the process of fulfilling them, according to Psalm 37:4. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Fruit basket upset began 11 years ago with the closing of my counseling practice in Birmingham and taking a position of basketball coach, teacher and counselor at Bryan college near Chatanooga.The fruit basket severely overturned just weeks after we arived when my wife died. The following year, I remarried, shortly after which I was in my opinion and that of several others, unjustly fired by the college. That basket was sufficiently damaged. So a new basket took on the shape of a move to Portland.

That basket began to tip when all vocational doors closed. After living there for three years, I had begun to gain some close friendships and was experiencing fullfillment as director of small groups at our church. Then Theresa (my wife) desired to move to Nampa to be close to her daughter. I had had enough of fruit basket upset and didn’t want to make another change.

Needless to say, I’m in Nampa and what a six-year blessing Nampa has been to me. Becoming chaplain of the NNU BB team,. Working with the Lighthouse mission men and mentoring college students Renewing old friendships, and experiencing a depth of love never experienced before from new friendships Affirmation and recognition has blown me away.

A few months ago, I began to feel that my ministry was coming to a close in Nampa. About that time my wife and her daughter who is now living in Texas were comiserating about our two families moving someplace together. My response: “hell no. I’m not moving again. I’m comfortable here. I enjoy Nampa and its wonderful people.” My heart’s desire was to stay in Nampa.

The Williams made the offer of moving to Kentucky, where my son and family live. And he has always said he’d like to have us living close. At about the same time, about 6 weeks ago, I heard that still quiet voice of the Lord saying, “Ray, Do you want to be comfortable or do you want to follow my guidance, which is a move to .Kentucky?” Well, I’ve read the book of Jonah and I prefer not to be whale bait.

God began to touch my heart. He began to create in me a desire to move to KY. From a stoney, “I’m not going to move, to a resignation out of obedience. Three weeks ago I flew to Cincinatti with Theresa’s daughter’s family to look for land and we found a wonderful place. However, a very significant roadblock erupted. Though Keith is making great money, he had been self-employed only 4 months. No mortgage company would loan him the money for the 50 acres he was wanting.

To make a long story short, the purchased property is about 30 minutes south of Cincinatti and 25 minutes away from my son. It is a secuded 54 acres with house on a knoll; overlooking the beautfiul tree filled rolling hills of northern Kentucky. It has a great pasture and a wonderul stand of trees which house a large number of deer and wild turkey. We'll have five of the 54 acres upon which to build. And, it's a BIG AND, the owner is carrying the paper for two years.

My heart was changing from resignation out of obedience to excitement about the potential this land provided. It has some ideal forest terrain that would make a great place for small cabins or tents in which people could come for retreat from the pressures of life. Our two children and their 11 children will have a set of parents and grandparents who will love them, will model Jesus to them, and have 54 acres to explore and develop an appreciation for the beauty of God’s nature. And I get to have the fun and challenge of building another barn, which I’ll start as soon as we arrive.

The roller coaster had another dip last Sunday. From resignation to excitement I began grieving the loss. Still excited about the move and the potential in Northern Kentucky, but the loss of all God's blessings in Nampa - significant! Then, two nights ago, I felt like the coaster flew off the tracks and we're whirling around in space someplace. Why? The average house for sale in this area sells betwee 3 and 6 months. Two nights ago we (God) sold the house for the asking price - after only two weeks on the market.

Will this be the last fruit basket upset? I don’t know. The one thing I do know is that the basket is in His hands and He promises to work all things for our good, the good of others and for His glory – just as He has done the past 71 years.

Psa.37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart - and then He will fulfill them.