Year in Review: 2020 A Year of Victory!
When I sat down last year to write my year in review, there was just no way to know what was ahead! I am pretty sure that's the case for most of us. 2020 saw a pandemic that has impacted probably close to every individual on the planet. We had an election here in the US that revealed the divisions in our nation are much worse than most had ever realized. Then there were protests, riots, churches forced to close their doors, small businesses going under all in the name of love and of course just chaos across many of our larger cities. This is the 2020 most of us have seen and experienced over the last year, but if so, then how dare I claim it to be "A Year of Victory"?
Well, it's actually quite simple, because every day that God gives us is a day to celebrate His victory! 2020 was a year that more than anything tested our faith in God and His promises. Unfortunately, many Christians failed this test, but that's not the point of this blog today. Instead, I want to share how God strengthened my family and my faith through the madness. Romans 8 has always been a favorite chapter of mine, verses 1 and 2 are what I consider life verses to always come back to. But this year I have come to a clearer understanding of verses 26 - 39, not only hermeneutically but experientially, which of course only matters if it also matches what the passage actually teaches. I won't go through the verses, but instead I'll ask you to read them, meditate on them, and believe them!
The beginning of 2020 saw my family and I at a new church, with me beginning a transition into becoming its Senior Pastor. We believed wholeheartedly that God had called us there and was about to do amazing things in that community and in us and were excited about all of it. It had taken a while to get back into full time ministry but after praying, and seeking counsel, we thought we were finally ready. The first couple of months had its ups and downs but overall, the church was definitely headed in the right direction.
Until it wasn't... When March came and the pandemic was on the brink, we realized there were some serious financial issues that had been brought about by the leadership and they were unwilling to accept responsibility. This meant we had to leave another church, and we entered the pandemic without a church home! For a few months we struggled to maintain some sense of community, while also trying to heal from another disappointment. Eva became very sick with covid, we lost my grandmother, and watched the world become deeply divided. This was indeed a tough season, but in all of it God was faithfully conforming us to His image.
By July there were many questions left unanswered, but our focus was restored. God is our foundation, our hope, our joy, peace and most importantly Our Lord and Savior. Whatever our future was going to look like, we knew that we would have to take even drastic steps to ensure this was protected. As we prayed and considered what our future would look like there were a few different steps identified necessary. First, another break from Pastoral Ministry. This was the most difficult for me to accept but at the same time, it was the most obvious to believe. To be an effective Pastor, one must first be a devoted husband and father. Able to shepherd his family through life's obstacles while maintaining a focus on Christs victory, and being able to rejoice in all things and in all circumstances. This continues to be my focus today!
Secondly, a change of scenery was necessary. Things in New York were continuing to move in an anti-Christian direction. Our youngest daughter was about to start Kindergarten and there was no school in our area willing to stand on their convictions and open for the coming school year. This was unacceptable for us. With a renewed commitment to God as our foundation we set out to search for a place where we could live out these convictions with the least amount of resistance. I want to be clear; this doesn't mean that we were afraid to fight. No, but we were wounded, and having served in the military I can tell you this, a wounded man on the battlefield is not of any benefit to those in the battle. It is best to get that man off the field as soon as possible, where he can recover and return to the fight in all his strength. We are healing and preparing!
Thirdly, grace would have to become a central part of our marriage and family. One cannot have a life built on God apart from grace holding it all together. Grace recognizes that we are sinners in the process of becoming like Christ, but yet still far from being a finished product. Grace allows us to see Christ in others while looking to purge sin from ourselves. Grace keeps us from feeling condemned while yet seeking to live repentant lives. Grace must first be received from God but must be then shared with others around us. Grace is always underserved, that's why it's grace, and when we fail at showing it, it is only by His grace that we can move forward to try again.
In August we moved from our home in Long Island, to a town home in Lakehurst, New Jersey. We found a solid Christian School for Gabby that meets every day from 8-3pm that she loves and more importantly is committed to their conviction that Jesus is Lord of everything. We found a new church that is meeting on the Lords Day, continues to reach out to the community and preaches the word of God faithfully. Both Eva and I have accepted new positions, Eva continues in her profession as an RN and I am serving as the Worship Leader in our new church home while seeking fulltime employment outside the church. We are getting to know our new community, serving our church and growing in our love for each other as a family.
In all of this though, our greatest victory has absolutely nothing to do with our circumstances. No, instead it has to do with everything we have been through and Gods constant and faithful reminder that in all of it we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us, for we are becoming convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are free now to celebrate the victories of 2020 and hold fast to Gods promises of continued victory for 2021. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!