For those of you who haven’t heard, CaryAnne and I have decided to move to Raleigh, North Carolina to be a part of a church plant there. Tony Merida (Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Ms) is going to be the pastor and Donnie Hollis is the worship pastor. When Donnie asked us to join them sometime last year, we were very excited about it and thought we would definitely be going. As time passed and we prayed about it, though, it seemed less and less likely. We got settled into our life in Brookhaven and were happy. We love being close to our families, we love our jobs, and our friends, so why would we leave all those things for something as uncertain as this?
Around the time that we started really thinking hard about whether or not we wanted to make the move, Pinelake started a series called “Outlive Your Life”. During this series, Chip challenged believers over the next two years to Go, Grow, and Give more than they ever have before. CaryAnne and I loved the idea of all this but didn’t really know how we fit in. One Wednesday night it hit me that this is our chance to “go”. Even though I felt that way while I was there, when we left I started doubting that this was what God really wanted us to do.
Over the next couple months, I went back and forth every couple days about going. We talked to many people we respect about it and they all basically said the same thing—“You should do it”. It wasn’t until a close friend recommended the book Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung that I realized that sitting there debating back and forth was accomplishing nothing. It was time to make a decision one way or the other, whether we were going to stay at home where we were comfortable and continue doing what we were doing and get more involved in Pinelake, or step out in faith and go to North Carolina. We finally made the decision to go because we feel that, ultimately, this is the most reasonable response to what God is teaching us and what He is doing in our life. As hard as it is to leave our jobs, our families, our friends, and Pinelake, it is absolutely the right thing for us right now.
So, we have decided to move to Raleigh for the next two years as part of our commitment to the Outlive Your Life challenge. When those two years are up, we don’t know what we are going to do. We’ll decide when the time comes. For now, all we know is that we’re going, and that’s enough for us.
We are taking a trip up there next week to try and find an apartment. Hopefully by next Wednesday or Thursday we will have a better idea of when we are moving, but right now we’re thinking it will be the beginning of June. We plan to use this blog to keep our friends and families updated throughout our journey so check back every now and then to see what’s new with us.
The church is called Imago Dei Church (www.idcraleigh.com). Check it out.
-Brett and CaryAnne
