Prayerful, Hopeful, and (honestly) a Bit Anxious, too.

Maybe it’s just that my body is stuck somewhere between Filipino time and Eastern time.

Maybe it’s the snow… or the lack thereof.

But I’m feeling a lot today.

This feels very similar to the day before my daughter was born. I’m full of anticipation. I’m full of emotions. Thoughts of all the possibilities run before me. I know, one way or another, my vocational life will dramatically change tomorrow. And it is completely out of my hands. This church that I serve, these people that I love and esteem, face a big decision.

Tomorrow is a monumental day in the life of two United Methodist congregations. They are choosing whether they will embrace hope, newness, and possibility. They are choosing whether they will have a collective part in the life of the church in intown Atlanta. They are choosing to place people before bricks and mortar. But they are also choosing to say goodbye to much that is familiar, comfortable patterns, and the predictability that comes with inhabiting a community alongside the same people. Those competing emotions are difficult to hold together or reconcile.

What they take with them is the Spirit’s abiding presence, a gracious demeanor, a desire to live into God’s beloved community, and a desire to make an impact in the lives of people in intown Atlanta. They hold close the dreams of those who came before them, hoping to live them out in ways no one but God has yet to dream. Regardless of what choice they make tomorrow, I am proud of them for even considering such a bold risk. I am honored to be their pastor.

There have been many moments along the past two years that can only be described as either serendipitous or providential. There have also been the all too human moments–disappointments, boiled-over anxiety, frustration. But here we are. By this time tomorrow, they’ll know what direction they are going to live out their common life and I’ll know how I’ll need to lead.

I covet your prayers. For myself, my family, Christ’s Church, for these two congregations, and for our city.