Hey friends!
Ok. This is nuts but…we’ve always been straight shooters around here, right?!
Well, I’m leaving Going Beyond.
Did I just hear you gasp? Are you as shocked as me? It came out of the middle of nowhere really….I went to lunch with one of the elder’s wives from my church and she said, “Annetta, you need to move in with us and join the Residency team of our church.” My immediate response was “Um, with all due respect, no. I love the Shirers. I love what I do…ANDDDD Linnae just left.” BUT she made me promise to pray about it over the weekend.
Big mistake.
Never pray about something when a woman of God is praying for your heart to be open to that thing…needless to say, 3 days later (after a convo with the Shirers and family and others) I called my friend and said I was “in.” Nuts!
Overnight my life has shifted in so many ways!! Boyfriend broke up with me (who knew a creative gregarian wasn’t the perfect fit for a methodical engineer?! I’ve heard opposites attract…but in our instance, they don’t stick :)), moved out of the “sorority house” (not a REAL sorority, but I lived with 4 other girls…so it sure felt like it!) and am changing jobs. And not just ANY job, but an international ministry with dear friends (FAMILY!) swapped for the local church (folks I’ve done ministry with for years but never as close as I will be in a few weeks). Whooooeee! Life is about to change…
So..As I was cleaning out my desk yesterday, alternately crying and laughing at mementos from the last 2 years here, I came upon a few observations I thought y’all might wanna hear…
The Shirers are just as legit as they seem. I absolutely love being a part of their lives. Priscilla really is always that fun and hip and wise…her brief “pop-in’s” the office are always a massive source of joy for us…she is phenomenal at asking “are you good? What’s going on with you?” And we love getting her insight. She is one of my FAVORITE people to talk boys with…that is, outside of Jerry Shirer. That man is WISE y’all, he and Priscilla work because her amazing strong self is matched by his amazing strong self. God so so knew what He was doing by putting them together!
Ministry is ministry is ministry. Yes, your local church woman’s ministry looks a whole lot different than Priscilla’s ministry in some ways. Jetlag and late hotel check-ins aren’t really in your normal day-to-day. BUT. Hearing from God, obedience, His personal touch to you, His ability to move just as powerfully in your day-to-day or in your ministry…these things are ALL the same. And I will dare say, jet-lag looks a whole lot like sleep deprivation from the arrival of a new infant…
One of the things God has called Priscilla to do is to equip you to do His call on YOUR life where you are. NEVER think it is any less of a calling than someone else’s. Your obedience in raising godly men and women who just happen to be your kids or in starting a ministry to women at your church or loving on your neighbors or whatEVER it is…that ministry is IMPORTANT. He has created you for such a time as this…so GET TO IT. God wants to use you! Get out there and be used!
WHO you do life with is more important than what you do in life. Ok. So maybe that statement is oversimplifying it…
a little bit.
Maybe.
But at the same time, there is a ton of truth in that: who are you walking with through this season? I’ve had some incredibly difficult seasons in circumstances, that were actually phenomenally fruitful for me personally. And the key to that whole thing was community. I had intentional girlfriends who consistently pointed me back to Jesus. Case in point: Linnae Hoppe. She is this amazingly discerning little creature, our beloved Linnae. She knew when to let something be a stress and when to make it a non-issue. She helped my emotionally high-strung self to just chill in so many situations.
Ok. I’ve learned so so so much while He has had me here. And I’m sad to go in so many ways…but I keep thinking, if He’s taught me THIS much in 2 years, just THINK how much I’m going to learn in this NEW season!!
I love y’all and will fiercely miss hearing your wise, fearless insight..you’ve spoken truth over my life…and I’m so so grateful. Praying His increased anointing and opportunity..He is the God of abundantly above and beyond!
xxox
annetta
P.s. If you would like to keep in touch, feel free to follow me on twitter: @annettabox tweet, tweet. 🙂
