FAQ About Our Move

Hi Everyone!
Thanks for all your questions and comments about our big move coming up in May. Here are some of the questions we've been asked most:

Are you not happy at Living Waters?
We are all very happy, and it will be very hard to say goodbye to such a nurturing worship environment.

Did David Zimmerman ask you to leave?
David has never asked me to leave, and he has always been supportive of my gifts and ministries. I've always felt that he valued my role at LWC. He’s a good friend that I’m glad to have.

Are you leaving as the result of some conflict with Leadership?
No. Simply put, I recognize that God is calling me to serve in a different church, and unfortunately that means I can not also serve Living Waters. If I could serve both, I would!

Is this about money?
Living Waters has always provided a generous financial package for our family, and we’ve always felt that LWC takes good care of its pastors. Money was not a factor in this decision.

I thought you didn’t want to be a senior/solo pastor.
When Living Waters was looking for a pastor back in 2006, I knew that I would not be the best fit for a young church. I even questioned whether I could ever be in such a position. Over the last two years, I’ve been able to grow as a leader and teacher thanks to several folks at Living Waters, namely Bill Babson, Alex Coblentz, David Zimmerman, and the Session. Only now do I feel that God could use me as a senior pastor.

How long have you been at Living Waters?
I arrived in June 2002, about a year after Laura. We were literally the first 2 official members on the roll.

It seems like every time I turn around, some pastor is leaving.
Depending on how often you turn around, you could be right. The average pastor moves every 5-6 years (John R. Cionca)

How does your family feel about this?
Laura is giving up a lot in this move, as she loves serving in the Clover school district. However, she too recognizes God’s calling in this new opportunity. She’s eager to serve wherever the Lord needs her most. Harrison is excited because he'll be getting a lot of attention-- he's the only toddler in the church.

Is this why you sold your house?
Actually, no. We listed our house in October, about three months before being asked out to lunch by representatives of the new church. They extended the call to me as pastor on the day we signed the papers selling our home in Autumn Cove (March 7th).

What is the new church like? Where is it? What will you be doing?
Effingham Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church is part of the same denomination and presbytery as Living Waters. It is over 100 years old and is located south of Florence, SC in a rural town called Effingham. It's about 3 hours southeast of Lake Wylie. I'll be serving as their pastor, which means I'll be preaching each week and providing leadership and pastoral care for about 145 people.

When will you be leaving?
My last Sunday at Living Waters will be April 27th, my last official day will be April 30th.

Modern Art and Ancient Calling

I was inspired this week after hearing a story on NPR about the “Colorfield” School of painting. The most well-known example of this movement (at least to me) is/was Mark Rothko. But it was the story of Gene Davis, one of the movements primary influences, that caught my ear. He had a fulfilling career as a sportswriter covering the Washington Redskins before pursuing art in middle age.

As you know, the relationship between art, artists, and culture is something important to me. Most guys like me have early adolescent dreams of rock stardom only to find that their calling is something else. I’d make a terrible rockstar these days! So where does a love of artistry fit in when your true calling is a bit more practical? For me, it’s worked out well thus far. My true calling is pastoring and shepherding in the church. But God has put me in a position where I’m also able to share music with people each week.

For Gene Davis, sportswriting was his vocation (I don’t know if he would have said it was his calling), but being an artist was his passion. When he realized he would never have time to learn “proper” art, he created a new art form using very strict lines and colors. Necessity became the mother of invention, so to speak, and he had a significant impact in creating an entire movement of modern art. Pretty good for a sportswriter, eh?

I tell you all of this to raise some questions in your own mind. What has God made you passionate about? What vocation has He called you to? In what situation in life (sitz en lieben) has God placed you? All these things influence the Purpose that God has called you to, but they may not all be the same thing. For example, Jesus’ earliest vocation was that of a carpenter working in His dad’s shop, but his calling and passion was something far greater.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28 NIV)

Oh, and hear is a related link on a new form of Colorfield expression: Analog Color Field Computing. Be sure to watch the short video; it is both haunting and beautiful. Postmodern modernism?